Playoff Jimmy Butler’s latest masterpiece, plus how the Jets and Packers both won the Aaron Rodgers deal

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Good morning to everyone but especially to…

JIMMY BUTLER AND THE MIAMI HEAT…

The Bucks have the best record in the NBA and, finally, Giannis Antetokounmpo alongside Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.

The Heat have the unparalleled postseason greatness of Jimmy Butler… and now a stunning 3-1 lead over the No. 1 seed thanks to a 119-114 Game 4 win.

Butler scored a franchise playoff-record 56 points, including 22 in the first quarter, when seemingly no other Miami player could score, and 21 in the fourth quarter.The Heat trailed by 12 — 101-89 — with six minutes left before a 13-0 run to take the lead and a 30-13 surge to finish the game overall. Caleb Martin scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth.After missing Games 2 and 3, Antetokounmpo had a triple-double (26 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists), and Lopez had 36 points. But Middleton and Holiday combined for just 28 points on 10-31 shooting.

I don’t really have the words to describe Butler’s performance. The 56 points are astonishing, and yet that doesn’t fully capture just how incredible he was. He dragged his team through early slogs and carried it late. It’s an all-time game for a player who has plenty of legendary ones. There’s no doubting his place among the game’s elite, writes our Brad Botkin.

Miami will try to finish the rare 8-1 upset tomorrow.

… AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO LEBRON JAMES AND THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS

For most of the season, the Lakers weren’t a playoff team, didn’t look like a playoff team and certainly didn’t seem like a threat even if they made it.

How lucky we are that they figured it out. And how lucky we are to watch LeBron James. James scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds to become the oldest player in NBA history with a 20-20 game — regular season or playoffs — and the Lakers beat the Grizzlies, 117-111 in overtime, to take a 3-1 series… [ad_2]
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/playoff-jimmy-butlers-latest-masterpiece-plus-how-the-jets-and-packers-both-won-the-aaron-rodgers-deal/

Author : Zachary Pereles

Publish date : 2023-04-25 12:56:50

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