Smith also acknowledged that if the Heat beat the Hawks, they might potentially face the 76ers, but he was still betting on Jimmy to carry the Heat to the finals.
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The Miami Heat turned on the heat on the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of their playoff series and beat them 115-105 to take a 2-0 lead. The star of the show was none other than Jimmy Butler. Butler was in stupendous form as he put up 45 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Naturally, that got everyone talking about how far he can take the Miami Heat. On ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith stated that he believes that Jimmy Butler can take Miami all the way to the NBA Finals. He also acknowledged that if the Heat beat the Hawks, they might potentially face the 76ers, but he was still betting on Jimmy to carry the Heat to the finals.
Smith said, “The question is how far can Jimmy Butler carry the Heat? He can carry them to the conference finals. Yes, he can. He can beat Philly next series. He can beat Atlanta this series. It’s Jimmy Butler here. Let me tell you something about Jimmy Butler. Is he the superstar? No, he is not that guy. He is a guy that knows how to do a lot of things very well and he is tough as nails. And he also has that kind of personality that can infuse a team.”
Read more: Only Warriors look capable of beating the Suns – Stephen A. Smith
Jimmy Butler had already taken the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals once already in 2020 when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the bubble. Butler was a disappointment in that series but he said that he is now a different player from what he was then and also attributed his success to the addition of point guard Kyle Lowry. Speaking after the game, Butler said, “I am a different player now than I was then. I just always want to play basketball the right way and do whatever it takes to help this team, this organization win. That’s why they brought me here.”
Speaking of Lowry, he added, “I’m not as ball-dominant as I was in the bubble. We got a point guard, and that’s Kyle, and I love him being a point guard. I just get to go out there and try to score. And if I can’t score, pass the ball. We’re a different team; I’m a different player.”
