Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat are headed to the ECF on the back of their best player, Jimmy Butler. And though he misses Embiid, he knows he belongs in Miami.

Don’t you ever question if Jimmy Butler is happy about where he is and who he plays for though. They seem like similarly minded guys, though Jimmy Butler’s work ethic and tendency to be a joyful jerk about winning is probably what Joel is missing. They made it there and they now have that chance after, almost, everyone considered them to be a paper tiger of a number one seed.

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles the ball up court against the Philadelphia. Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports.

And he’s doing so by having the highest scoring, most efficient postseason of his 10 trips to the playoffs. Miami will play either a Boston team with a switchy, suffocating defense, or the same Milwaukee team that locked up Butler a season ago, with perhaps the best defender in the world in Antetokounmpo. Butler and the rest of the Heat have passed every test so far in the playoffs, but a far greater challenge awaits in the coming round. (In fact, Butler had the best points per possession of anyone running at least four pick and rolls a game entering Thursday.) In the regular season, Butler initiated only 4.3 PnRs a game and averaged 0.92 points per possession. He is shooting seven attempts a night inside the restricted area and hitting 71.4% of his attempts, the only non-center with at least five attempts in that zone shooting at least 70%. He’s also been great between the foul line and the restricted area, shooting 61.1%, fourth-best among all players attempting at least three shots from there a night. The question of whether or not Butler’s offensive improvement is the result of a small sample size or an ascension to another level will be answered definitively in the next series. He hasn’t shot even 25% from deep in a season yet with Miami. And the long-distance shot essentially wasn’t part of his game during the regular season, as Butler attempted only two a night. The empty side actions largely prevent help defenders from crashing down at Butler on the elbow, who can deter him from getting into the lane and force him to settle for more midrange shots. In the playoffs, Butler is shooting 4.4 threes a game and connecting on 36.4% of them. Of all players who’ve played at least six games, Butler is third in scoring behind only Giannis and Luka Dončić. Those two are also the only other players besides Butler to meet the same benchmarks in scoring, rebounding and assists. Seriously, here is a list of players Butler is shooting (or has shot) better than from three in the playoffs: Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, C.J. McCollum and, for good measure, his teammate Tyler Herro. Butler, of course, played for the Sixers before they traded him to the Heat in the summer of 2019. And particularly on the offensive end of the floor, Jimmy Buckets has shined like never before—better even than his run to the Finals in the Bubble.

NBA Twitter gives their best reactions to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat eliminating the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 of Round 2.

It was all Butler and the Heat on the road. This was the first time the road team had won in this series as Miami got good production out of Max Strus as well to help Butler get the job done. Butler was making shot after shot and they all seemed like daggers.

Jimmy Butler wasted absolutely no time in calling out the 76ers after eliminating them from the playoffs and NBA fans loved it.

over me?” And Jimmy Butler is going to his second Conference Finals in 3 years — a place where the Sixers just can’t get to. “ over me?

Jimmy Butler said something (that is going viral) as he went into the locker room after the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6.

- GIANNIS MEETS WITH MEDIA AFTER GAME 5 WIN: The Milwaukee Bucks picked up a win in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. The massive win on the road gave them a 3-2 lead in the series, and Giannis Antetokounmpo met with the media postgame.CLICK HERE. Butler is referring to the fact that he used to play for the 76ers, and they ended up giving Harris a max contract, when they could have kept Butler. The Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 99-90 on Thursday night to advance to win their second-round series 4-2, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

On Thursday, Miami clinched its second Eastern Conference Finals appearance since Butler signed in 2019. On his way to the locker room, he shouted, “Tobias ...

But before even thinking about a ring (+450), the Heat will have to go through the Bucks or Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. On Thursday, Miami clinched its second Eastern Conference Finals appearance since Butler signed in 2019. The Heat have only the NBA’s 10th-highest payroll ($140.8M), but thanks to a combination of smart offseason moves and commitment to continuity, they’re once again legitimate contenders.

After the Heat beat the 76ers, Jimmy Butler said he wished he still shared a team with Joel Embiid then questioned Philadelphia choosing Tobias Harris.

Will it get Embiid the attention he craves? Afterward, Butler and Embiid embraced on the court. Embiid returned the favor in his post-game press conference. I won’t sit here and say I didn’t wish he was my teammate. There are different interpretations of whether Philadelphia picked Harris over Butler, Ben Simmons over Butler or Al Horford and Josh Richardson over Butler. But Harris – who got a five-year, $180 million contract in 2019 – is the only one left on the 76ers. Yes, yes, yes, I still wish I was on his team.

The Heat star had a question for Philadelphia following Game 6.

While Miami and Butler continue their pursuit for another championship, the Sixers face an uncertain future. Butler has mentioned how happy he is to be with the Heat despite the journey that got him there. And while the win was just another step for most of Miami’s players, it was personal to their biggest star.