Jimmy Butler's explosive 40-point performance in Game 1 of the second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks soon became a trending topic, considering Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't take it upon his own hands to stop the Miami Heat star in the closing moments of the game.
Naturally, Jimmy Butler was asked if he was surprised about Antetokounmpo choosing to defend his usual matchup instead of switching onto him late in the fourth quarter:
Article Continues Below“Uh, no. I’m not surprised,” said Butler, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I look at it like this. He is one of the best help-side defenders that there are in the league. And that’s what he’s been doing all year long. And I think you can’t get stuck on what we do. I think you’ve really just got to focus on what you do – you’ve been doing it all year.
“Nah, I’m not surprised. If he switches out…and he’s guarding me, you know we’re going to do what we have to do to still win. But I’m gonna tell you: You’re not going to be able to leave me, so then that’s taking away their weakside defense. So either way it goes, we’re gonna be in a good spot. We’ve got way more guys who can do what I just did last night better than I can do, so we’ll see.”
Butler is a crafty finisher that uses a mix of athleticism and basketball smarts to make the most of his opponents. While Antetokounmpo is the Defensive Player of the Year, he excels on the weak side, patrolling areas of the paint for timely blocked shots and steals.
Butler and the Heat will have to prove they can do that again in Game 2 to get Antetokounmpo and Mike Budenholzer's attention and warrant a change in scheme.