The Miami Heat’s season is over after consecutive blowout losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the series sweep.
But former Heat superstar Jimmy Butler is still standing. And strong, too. Butler returned to the Golden State Warriors in Game 4, dropping 27 points, five rebounds, and six assists to put the Warriors up 3-1 in their series against the Houston Rockets. Butler had 14 in the fourth quarter, outscoring all his teammates in the final period.
Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo combined for just 17 points in their elimination game, shooting 15.4 percent from 3-point range.
Miami’s mid-season trade of Butler has greatly favored the Warriors. They became one of the best teams in the league with the six-time All-Star, whereas the Heat fell down the conference rankings with each head-scratching performance or blown double-digit lead. And now, Playoff Jimmy is on the brink of elevating Golden State to the second round while the Heat posted arguably the most embarrassing series in franchise history.
Who thought we’d be glaring more favorably at the Butler in Golden State than the Lakers getting Luka Doncic?
Okay, that might be a stretch. But in the same breath, the Warriors benefit from this so much that it seems like that much of a slam dunk.
The Warriors play the Rockets for Game 5 Wednesday night. We’ll see what transactions – or lack thereof – the Heat make this offseason.
Be the first to comment