4 Bulls’ storylines, including Jimmy Butler, behind 2023 NBA Finals

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Butler tops Bulls’ storylines behind 2023 NBA Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The NBA Finals begin Thursday night in Denver.

The Denver Nuggets are vying for the franchise’s first NBA title, while the Miami Heat seek to become the first No. 8 seed to win it all.

Here are four Chicago Bulls-related reasons to watch:

The Bulls’ 2011 draft pick has risen from Luol Deng’s understudy to landing on the short list for the game’s best two-way players. He’s also authoring a postseason run for the ages.

The Eastern Conference finals most valuable player has led the No. 8 Heat to series victories over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, fifth-seeded New York Knicks and second-seeded Boston Celtics by averaging 28.5 points, 7 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 17 games.

Just as important, Butler has displayed the hard-nosed, no-nonsense demeanor that has defined his career and which permeates the Heat franchise. It’s all about hard work and accountability, which is why Butler has proven such a snug fit on his fourth team.

Six years after the Bulls traded him to enter a full rebuild, Butler is making his sixth straight playoff appearance, second NBA Finals appearance and searching for his first ring. The Bulls have made one playoff appearance, winning one game, in that span.

Bulls’ offseason work

The disparity between Butler’s postseason path and the Bulls’ since that 2017 trade should be enlightening. In fact, the worst thing Bulls management could do is rationalize a close play-in loss to the Heat and the current state of NBA parity as justification for a complacent offseason.

While it is wild to recall how ripe the Heat were for the taking back on April 14 before the Bulls went ice cold and turnover-happy down the stretch of their play-in loss, Butler’s dominant presence alone serves as reminder of the disparity between the rosters.

Especially since Lonzo Ball’s unfortunate injury saga that has his future availability in jeopardy, the Bulls lack two-way players. The Heat feature several, with Butler among the game’s best.

The Heat also have surrounded Butler with shooters, including 2022 Sixth Man of…

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Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2023-05-30 17:45:22

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