Bucks' Jrue Holiday: LeBron, Jordan Couldn't Have Stopped Jimmy Butler in Heat Series
May 25, 2023
Jrue Holiday praised Jimmy Butler for his performance while leading the Miami Heat to a first-round playoff upset victory over the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks.
Appearing on Sideline Stroll with Ros, Holiday told Ros Gold-Onwude it wouldn't have mattered if LeBron James or Michael Jordan was guarding Butler in that series because he was "playing at a different level."
NBACentral @TheNBACentralJrue Holiday admits he got his 'ass busted' by Jimmy Butler <br><br>"A lot of plays Jimmy made, there was nothing that I could do. There's nothing that anybody could do. It didn't matter if it was Brook on him, if it was LeBron James or Michael Jordan on him. It didn't matter who was… <a href="https://t.co/bf03cP7nex">pic.twitter.com/bf03cP7nex</a>
Butler has been one of the best players in the entire postseason. He's been the driving force behind Miami's run from near-elimination in the play-in tournament to one win away from the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed in the East.
The Bucks saw the absolute peak of Butler in their first-round matchup. The six-time All-Star averaged 37.6 points on 59.7 percent shooting (44.4 percent from three), 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals in the five-game series.
Butler scored 98 points over the final two games against the Bucks, including 56 in Game 4 to help the Heat take a 3-1 lead. His 188 total points were the most by a player in a five-game series since Jordan had 215 in the 1990 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat became the sixth No. 8 seed to beat the top seed in the playoffs in NBA history. It was the first time it's happened since the 2012 Sixers beat the Chicago Bulls in six games.
Butler and the Heat can join the 1999 New York Knicks as the only No. 8 seeds in NBA history to reach the Finals with one more win over the Boston Celtics. They can close out the Eastern Conference Finals in Game 5 at TD Garden on Thursday night.
