National Basketball Association

Is Jimmy Butler the best player left in the NBA playoffs?

Published May. 18, 2022 3:45 p.m. ET

Jimmy Butler's second-half performance in Tuesday night's Eastern Conference finals opener was starkly different than his first-half one.

Such was the same for his Miami Heat team.

Miami struggled to settle into a groove for the majority of the opening half, while its opponent – the Boston Celtics – got out to a fiery start, collecting 18 points in the first seven minutes and opening a 62-54 lead by halftime.

But the start of the third quarter brought about a new intensity from Butler, and it seamlessly seeped into the rest of his team. Boston's edge quickly disappeared as the period got underway, and by the midway point, Miami held a comfortable 74-64 advantage. That margin would only stretch as time went on, as the Heat used a 39-14 run in the third to build a lead that would become insurmountable.

Miami won, 118-107, as Butler finished with 41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. That stat line is the first of its kind in playoff history (since the NBA began charting all five categories). Butler had 27 points in the second half and registered a game-high +25 by the final buzzer. His swarming defense helped Miami hold Boston to 2-of-15 shooting during its dreadful third quarter.

"Jimmy Butler is an elite competitor," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the win. "There are a lot of guys in this league that are playing basketball. He's competing to win. That's a totally different thing, and he does that as well as anybody in this league."

"I continued to play basketball the right way," Butler reflected on his historic night. "Shoot the ball when I'm open, attack, hit the open guy. Honestly, it was a team effort."

The Heat did their handiwork as a team, but Butler was the guiding force. According to Skip Bayless, he's the "best player left in the playoffs."

"The primary reason I've stuck with the Heat all through the playoffs is ‘Playoff Jimmy,’" Bayless said Wednesday on "Undisputed." "He put up numbers in a Game 1 statement at home unlike we've ever seen in the history of playoff basketball. No one's ever had a stat line like 41 points with no 3-pointers! He made 17-of-18 free throws. He led his team in rebounds, assists and steals.

"And the stat I love the most is … he only had two turnovers."

Jimmy Butler's 41 points lift Heat over Celtics in Gm 1 of ECF

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe dissect the Miami Heat's 118-107 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Miami pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Boston 39-14 and never looking back, thanks to the play of Jimmy Butler.

Shannon Sharpe labeled the All-Star forward as unique as they come.

"Jimmy Butler is different," Sharpe simply stated. "I haven't seen anyone elevate their game from the regular season to the postseason at a higher clip than him. He was the best player on the court on both ends of it. The guy had zero 40-point games in the regular season, and he has one in each of the first three rounds of these playoffs.

"If you get 41 points on 16 shots, you're doing a great job of coaxing [the defense.] They're going to be tough to beat."

Nick Wright believed Butler's performance was enough to push him into "Club Superstar."

"Jimmy Butler is proving that we made a major omission in ‘Club Superstar,'" Wright admitted on "First Things First."

"Jimmy Butler has scored 40 points five times in the last six years," Wright continued. "Zero have come in the regular season, all of them have come in the postseason. ‘Playoff Jimmy’ is a real thing. He brings the same level of defensive intensity all year, but he ups the offense to superstar level in the most important times."

Chris Broussard called Butler the torch-bearer for the league's elder statesmen.

"Jimmy Butler sonned the Boston Celtics," Broussard said. "This is a theme that's carried with him in these playoffs.

"[He's done it to] Trae Young, Tyrese Maxey and his boy Joel Embiid, and last night, he did it to Jayson Tatum, the last ‘it’ guy among the stars that are coming up. In the playoffs, we're seeing a changing of the guard. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul aren't there. And the young guys – Luka [Dončić], Tatum, the Memphis guys are coming. Jimmy is carrying the torch for the older generation, saying 'not just yet.'"

Jimmy Butler overwhelms Celtics in Game 1 win

Jimmy Butler led the Miami Heat to a Game 1 victory with 41 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Nick Wright tells Chris Broussard why he may have made a mistake by not allowing Butler into Club Superstar, and Broussard breaks down why Butler's dominant performance was 'Playoff Rondo-esque'.

Miami did exactly what it wanted to in Game 1 of the series, but Boston certainly won't go down without a vicious fight. Game 2 tips off Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.