Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Jimmy gets buckets, but this bucket might be the most impressive of them all
A wise man once said, “Jimmy G Buckets, and the G stands for gets.”
Butler has been on a tear to open the 2023 NBA playoffs, averaging 36.5 points through the first four games, helping the 8 seed Miami Heat sprint out to a 3-1 lead over the Bucks. The Heat had a chance to close out the series in Milwaukee. Miami was down two with 2.1 seconds left, when Jimmy Butler hit the most miraculous shot I think I’ve ever seen.
Thrown in by Gabe Vincent (who poured in 22 points of his own), Butler curled around a Kyle Lowry screen towards the basket, where both Pat Connaughton and Jrue Holiday were standing. Butler creates space as the ball is in the air, but the ball is a bit overthrown. No problem for Jimmy Buckets, who jumps backwards and catches the ball in midair, and is able to get a shot off before expiration.
Seriously. How did Butler hit this shot?
Like, how?
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Of course, because his name is Jimmy Buckets, it goes in and he sends the game to overtime, where the Heat were able to finish the game off, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks.
We knew Jimmy was a legend even before he dropped 56 points in Game 4 to put the Bucks on the brink of elimination. This seals it.
I’m still in shock about the shot. As a Heat fan, I’ve seen some pretty incredible things, yet that was arguably the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. He just caught the ball and flicked it up there, and it went in. I stood in front of my TV silent, trying to figure out how Jimmy Butler defied gravity and tied the game against the 1 seed on their home court. Isaac Newton bows down to you, Jimmy Butler.
Honestly, I’m still in shock. How did he make that? How did the Heat beat the 1 seed Bucks, finishing them off on their home floor? The answer to both can be the same: Jimmy Butler and opportunistic defense. Butler averaged around 38 points per game on 67% true shooting percentage, including 42 in the elimination game. It looked miraculous going in, much like that shot, but the Heat are moving on and will face New York in the next round.
