Playoff Legend Jimmy Butler Scores Incredible Bucket To Tie Game In Final Seconds; Heat Knock Top-Seeded Bucks Out
"Playoff Jimmy" is not a concept or a fable ... he is real.
When it's time for the playoffs, the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler knows how to turn on clutch performances and pull off unbelievable plays to shoulder the undermanned Heat.
Butler manages to play without limitations from the 2020 Finals to the 2022-23 postseason. Butler did so again in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference's first-round matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.
On Wednesday, Butler pulled off a career performance to sink the top-seeded Bucks, winning in overtime (128-126) and closing out the series in five games.
With less than three seconds in Wednesday's Game 3, facing a two-point deficit, Butler stunned the Bucks home crowd with an acrobatic midair basket on an improbable inbound play that tied the game with 0.5 left.
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Butler is a different animal in the postseason. There's no stopping this guy. He scored 42 points on the night, adding eight rebounds and four assists. Butler followed up on a strong showcasing on Monday, scoring 56 points in Game 4.
Leading up to the game-tying basket, Miami climbed out of a 16-point lead in the fourth with 10 minutes to go. The Heat needed every second in regulation to complete their comeback. They also doubled the Bucks' scoring in the fourth, 32-16.
Butler's bucket tied the game and set the Heat up for their eventual overtime win to knock off the Bucks.
Milwaukee had a final possession in OT to tie or win the game. Unaware of the clock, Bucks forward Grayson Allen ran out the time and sealed Miami's ticket to the second round.
The Heat made history Wednesday night: becoming the sixth No. 8 team in NBA Playoff history to dethrone a one-seeded team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was apparently livid over the loss, seen in his postgame media session. Giannis went off on a reporter that asked him if the season was a "failure" for Milwaukee.
With Jimmy Buckets leading the team, there's no telling how far the Miami Heat will go. Miami takes on the New York Knicks in Round 2. The Knicks closed their series on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers (4-1).