Miami created a real surprise on Sunday, winning on the Milwaukee floor in Game 1 (130-117). A great collective performance which is far from being a hold-up, since Erik Spoelstra’s men dominated their opponent head and shoulders. It must be said that the Heat shot 59.5% throughout the evening (50/84) including 60% (15/25) behind the arc! An insolent address, especially for a team that has suffered in the field throughout the season, to which the Bucks could not respond. With 130 points scored, the Floridians set a new franchise record in the playoffs.
“For now, we have to find any way to win” replied Erik Spoelstra when asked about the Heat’s marksmanship. “I’m not even watching this because the next game could be totally ugly and look like an Eastern Conference meeting in the 90s”.
Jimmy Butler as leader
If the Heat responded collectively with the valuable contributions of Bam Adebayo, Gabe Vincent, Kevin Love or Caleb Martin, there is one player who stood out by performing as a boss.
And of course it’s about Jimmy Butler. The latter was aggressive from the start with 14 points in the first quarter to perfectly launch his team. At the break, he already had 24 points at 11/17 shooting. He will finish the game with an impressive line of stats: 35 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals at 15/27 shooting. With a +17, it also presents the best +/- of the match.
“I control what I can control” said Jimmy Butler on the face of the match with the impact of injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyler Herro. “I play basketball the right way, no matter who is on the court, on my team or on the opposing team. I’m going to stay aggressive, make sure my guys get their shots, defend like I’m supposed to and do whatever it takes for my team to win.”.
Once again, Jimmy Butler produced a very high performance in the playoffs in the Heat jersey. To the delight of his coach, Erik Spoelstra.
“I feel like I’ve said so many different things about him in those four years, but he’s just an outstanding competitor.” praised the coach. “He does it on both sides of the pitch and he has an innate sense of what needs to be done at certain points in the game. We obviously needed a bit of offensive punch, triggers, just something to reassure us, especially when we found out Tyler Herro wasn’t coming back, and Jimmy was able to take matters into his own hands.”.
With this success the Heat in any case seizes Game 1, and recovers in passing the advantage of the field.
| Jimmy Butler | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2011-12 | CHI | 42 | 9 | 40.5 | 18.2 | 76.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.6 |
| 2012-13 | CHI | 82 | 26 | 46.7 | 38.1 | 80.3 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 8.6 |
| 2013-14 | CHI | 67 | 39 | 39.7 | 28.3 | 76.9 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 13.1 |
| 2014-15 | CHI | 65 | 39 | 46.2 | 37.8 | 83.4 | 1.8 | 4.1 | 5.8 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 20.0 |
| 2015-16 | CHI | 67 | 37 | 45.5 | 31.1 | 83.2 | 1.2 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 20.9 |
| 2016-17 | CHI | 76 | 37 | 45.5 | 36.7 | 86.5 | 1.7 | 4.5 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 23.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIN | 59 | 37 | 47.4 | 35.0 | 85.4 | 1.3 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 22.2 |
| 2018-19 * | All Teams | 65 | 34 | 46.2 | 34.7 | 85.5 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 18.7 |
| 2018-19 * | PHL | 55 | 33 | 46.1 | 33.8 | 86.8 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 18.2 |
| 2018-19 * | MIN | 10 | 36 | 47.1 | 37.8 | 78.7 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 21.3 |
| 2019-20 | MIA | 58 | 34 | 45.5 | 24.4 | 83.4 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 20.0 |
| 2020-21 | MIA | 52 | 34 | 49.7 | 24.5 | 86.3 | 1.8 | 5.1 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 21.5 |
| 2021-22 | MIA | 57 | 34 | 48.0 | 23.3 | 87.0 | 1.8 | 4.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 21.4 |
| 2022-23 | MIA | 64 | 33 | 53.9 | 35.0 | 85.0 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 22.9 |
| Total | 754 | 33 | 46.8 | 32.2 | 84.2 | 1.6 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 18.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
