ASK IRA: Do the Heat owe it to Jimmy Butler to find offensive support?
Q: Ira, Jimmy Butler did not score 30 or above since the Bucks series, if I remember correctly, certainly not during the Finals. Was he injured at all, gassed, or just, in the case of Denver, bigger younger bodies defending him? – David.
A: Probably a bit of all of the above, even though he downplayed the injury angle. Actually, he did have a 35-point game against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals and four games with 27 or more thereafter, including games of 28 and 25 points in the NBA Finals, And that is who Jimmy Butler is. The expectation should not be anything beyond, considering how he also takes on defensive challenges, passes and rebounds. What we learned in the Finals is that the Heat need a second scorer to allow Jimmy, at 33, to rest and recover. Perhaps that could have been a healthy Tyler Herro. Perhaps that can be a Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal. I’m not sure, no matter where his physical or mental state stood at the finish, that more could have been asked. Even in Game 5, it basically was Butler or bust at the finish. Getting Jimmy help should be Priority 1 in the offseason.
Q: The Miami Heat simply ran out of steam. But they must be commended heartily for achieving much more than any Heat fan could have imagined at the end of the regular season. Even in defeat, they should be congratulated. – Garth.
A: Agree. If you can’t win the final game of the NBA season, then the second best place to be is to be in that final game. It might take time to decompress, but who exactly envisioned that the Miami Heat would be playing on June 12, 2023? When you don’t win, it always ends with a thud. But you know what, to quote a Heat voice from the past, “Good job. Good effort.”
Q: Nikola Jokic’s expression after the win is reminiscent of Ivan Drago from the movie Rocky. No emotion whatsoever, like he is a machine. – Javier.
A: Perhaps the most complete offensive machine of NBA centers ever witnessed, with apologies to Arvydas Sabonis and Bill Walton.