He’s playing like he’s in an open gym.
Coming off a missed outing due to an ankle sprain, Jimmy Butler returned to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks like a boss.
Apart from his 28-point night, Jimmy Buckets contributed immensely to Miami’s 105-86 win on Sunday at the Kaseya Center by swagging out on the visiting team in signature fashion. Seeing how their main man was so loose, the rest of the Heat probably got a confidence boost, which allowed them to go ahead in the series, 2-1.
Let’s check out the South Beach superstar’s greatest hits on Sunday.
First, check out Jimmy’s double-pump reverse slam, just to remind you of his underrated athleticism. And hey, Heat fan Hush Aldonis even wants to see his guy on the dunk contest.
That said, Butler pointed out after the game that it’s quite tiring to do flashy dunks.
As if showboat dunking was not enough, here’s the Miami main man, putting icing on the cake by beating the shot-clock buzzer, and then yelling “he can’t guard me” in reference to Knicks swingman Josh Hart.
In this sequence, Jimmy collaborates with Heat forward Kevin Love to troll Knicks high-flyer Obi Toppin for carelessly stepping out of bounds.
Things got chippy in the third period and a scuffle broke out.
The 33-year-old swingman, nonetheless, was clearly unbothered by the scene. His priceless reaction afterwards proved that he is indeed the king of NBA memes.
Frankly, if you watched Game 2 and saw how Butler acted during that game while in street clothes, you should have seen this coming.
The comfort level of the six-time NBA All-Star at this stage of the postseason is extremely high, it doesn’t bode well for the Knicks. The two rivaling clubs duke it out again on Tuesday in the pivotal Game 4.
(GM)