After leading the Heat to the Finals in 2020, Jimmy Butler has not received much flowers and applause in the past two seasons, but there are many doubts about him. But today Butler played a masterpiece of his career. In the first round of G2, Butler shot 15-of-25, including 4-of-7 from three-point range and 11-of-12 from the free throw line, with 45 points, five rebounds and five assists, leading the Heat to a 115-105 victory over the Hawks to lead 2-0 on aggregate.
In the 2019-20 season, Butler joined the Heat, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "once the golden wind and jade dew meet, they win countless victories in the world". Butler and the Heat looked at each other and joined hands to reach the Finals, leaving many people with glasses. It was the honeymoon period for Butler and the Heat.
But in the past 2 seasons, Butler has not received much applause. In the first round of the 2021 playoffs, the Heat were swept 4-0 by the vengeful Bucks. This season, the Heat are no. 1 in the East Zone, but few people count them when predicting the championship. Butler's performance this season should also be spoken of separately. His offensive efficiency, true shooting percentage (59.2%), contribution to victory per 48 minutes and true plus-minus (+6.3) all rank in the top three of his career, but his defensive efficiency fell to the second worst of his career. In addition, his efficiency (23.6) career 5th, and for the third consecutive season, his three-point shooting rate fell below 30%.
This season's famous clash between the Heat and the Nuggets, Butler did not get much cheap. In Denver, he shouted at the Nuggets on the field and led the crowd to block the locker room door after the game, causing an uproar. But more than 20 days later, when the Nuggets returned to Miami, Butler and another party, Big Morris, took a leave of absence, allowing Jokic's two older brothers to take a comfortable trip to the South Coast. For a time, the discussion about whether Butler was a "pseudo-tough guy" was very heated.
Finally, there was the turbulence that the Heat encountered in late March, with four consecutive defeats that made them look like they were going to give up the top spot in the East End. It wasn't until a wave of six consecutive wins that stabilized the situation. In short, along the way this season, Butler has experienced injuries, on-field conflicts and consecutive defeats, and has also made fans and experts talk about the Heat, and even began to question the Heat's star combat strength. There is even a saying that if the Heat can't go far this season, it will shoot and break up with Butler.
This shows how timely this high-scoring performance came today, and Butler's haze this season can be described as swept away.
Perhaps the most accurate evaluation of Butler comes from an NBA team general manager. Speaking about Butler before the 2011 draft, he said: "I've been in basketball for so many years, and his story is the most impressive to me. I don't know how many times in his life he was doomed to failure. But each time, he overcame countless difficulties. He doesn't want to talk about his life, but when you talk about him, you get a feeling of 'this kid is really amazing'"
For Butler's tragic childhood experience, everyone has long heard about it. His father abandoned them in his early years, and when he was 13, he was kicked out of the house by his mother because he didn't like his looks. Helplessly, he could only linger at the homes of various friends. But even so, Butler chose to forgive his parents, "We still love each other." ”
During tomball's senior season at High School, Butler was promoted to captain, averaging 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and was selected as the team's MVP. But even so, after graduating from high school, he was not favored by major basketball colleges, and for a time he could only commit to Taylor Junior College in Texas. Finally, he averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in his freshman season, attracting the attention of NCAA First Division colleges. At the time, he was only named 2 stars, ranking 127th among the 2008 Class of Professional Students.
Eventually, Butler accepted a basketball scholarship from Marquette University. In his junior year, he started with the varsity team, averaging 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and was nominated for the Best East Division. In his senior year, he averaged 15.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
In the 2011 draft, Butler was selected by the Bulls in the final place in the first round. He played in 42 games in the rookie season, averaging just 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. But since the second season, Butler has been climbing for five consecutive seasons, and in season 4, he has entered the ranks of the season average of 20+ points per game, and can also get 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals, shooting an overall shooting rate of 46.2% and 37.8% from three-point range, and was selected as the most improved player and was named an All-Star.
The bulls at that time were in the late Rus' era. A serious injury in the first round in 2012 brought rose's golden years to an abrupt end. Butler made up for Rose's absence in time. Starting in 2014-15, Butler became the Bulls' top scorer and was named to the Defensive Team for the 2016-17 season. The Bulls also offered him a big contract of 95 million yuan for 5 years.
It was in the 2016-17 season that the Bulls brought in Wade and Rondo, but Butler's misfit personality, which had been criticized for a long time, gradually became apparent at this time. His and Wade's criticism of the young players drew Rondo's response, and the atmosphere in the team was chaotic. Finally, after the Bulls stopped in the first round instead of making waves in the playoffs as expected, the Bulls decided that Butler was not handsome and sent him to the Timberwolves.
Everything that happened next is familiar to everyone. Not long after spending time with the Timberwolves, Butler "returned to his old ways", dissatisfied with Downs and Wiggins' talent but doing nothing, and took a stand with the three teams in training; when it came to the 76ers, Butler was close to Embiid (laying the groundwork for Embiid and Towns to stage a full-scale martial arts campaign), but he was always estranged from Ben Simmons and then coach Brett Brown. After the contract renewal negotiations broke down, Butler went south to Miami, and the drift along the way had the final destination.
Looking back at Butler's basketball path, it can be called a history of self-improvement. The first three teams he played for in his career did not achieve a perfect ending, which is also the inevitable result of his strict requirements for others, although some people complained about his curry position, so it was inevitable that it was a bit too much. But at least today, in this game, he blocked the mouths of doubters with the highest score in a single playoff game of his career, declaring his existence that could not be ignored. (Supine Braces/Hairy)