Tag: Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler could miss entire series vs. Celtics

The Boston Celtics may not face Jimmy Butler for their entire first-round series against the Miami Heat.

The Boston Celtics won the opening game of their first-round series against the Miami Heat on Sunday (April 21). Erik Spoelstra was without Jimmy Butler, who is currently dealing with an MCL sprain. Without the All-Star forward, Miami’s chances of progressing into the second round are slim.

According to Shams Charania, who was speaking on a recent episode of FanDuel TV’s ‘Run It Back,’ Butler could miss the entire series against Boston as he faces a month or two of rehabilitation on his knee. That news will be a hammer blow for a Heat team that made the NBA Finals last season.

“He is not gonna be back in this series,” Charania said. “This is a rehab that’s gonna go at least one month. It’s seriously remarkably to me that he played three quarters on this injury.”

Without Butler, the Heat lack the offensive firepower required to put a strain on the Celtics defense. The veteran forward is among the most dominant postseason performers in the NBA. Miami’s offense will be blunted without him in their rotation.

Terry Rozier is also dealing with an injury. As such, there’s a heavy load on Tyler Herro, who was shut down by Jrue Holiday in the opening game of the series.

Without Butler in the rotation, the Celtics have an opportunity to end the series in four or five games and, with that, finally put the threat of the Heat out of their minds as they continue pushing toward a championship.

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Jimmy Butler directed a stern comment at 76ers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. after sustaining injury during play-in game

Jimmy Butler doesn’t sound too thrilled about his injury.

After he got diagnosed with an MCL sprain on Thursday that will sideline him for the foreseeable future, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler sent someone a pretty blunt message on Instagram.

Butler got tangled up with Philadelphia 76ers forward/guard Kelly Oubre Jr. during Wednesday night’s play-in game, as Oubre landed awkwardly on Butler’s knee while trying to block the latter’s shot attempt.

Well, Butler either wanted to troll or intimidate Oubre after the incident left him injured, tagging the 76ers standout on Instagram with the comment “we throwing hands” on a post about Butler’s ailment.

That’s certainly one way to respond.

We’re not sure if Butler is just messing with Oubre, or if he’s actually expressing a real grievance over his injury. Either way, this only adds to a building rivalry between the Heat and 76ers in the Eastern Conference.

It’s hard to tell for sure, but the comment in and of itself is fascinating.

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Sixers studying film of Jimmy Butler’s playoff runs to prepare for Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers are studying Jimmy Butler’s past playoff tape as they prepare for the play-in game with the Miami Heat.

CAMDEN, N.J. — Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is an interesting player to watch on a nightly basis. He is a good player during the regular season, but he turns into a different player once the playoffs roll around.

In the 2021-22 season, Butler’s usage rate went up from 26.5% during the regular season to 29.1% in the playoffs. His scoring average went from 21.4 during the season to 27.4 during the playoffs. His 3-point attempts from 2.0 to 4.0.

In 2022-23, his usage rate went from 25.6% to 29.1%. His scoring average from 22.9 to 26.9 and his 3-point attempts from 1.6 to 3.5.

“I think that, obviously you and I certainly know that he has a lot different numbers in the regular season versus the playoffs,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Just his attempts, time with the ball, his 3-point attempts — like everything goes way up for him. You could just simply sum it up as he becomes a lot more aggressive scorer.”

Therefore, it wouldn’t much sense for Nurse and the Sixers to study any film of his regular season. The focus is going to be on what he has done in the playoffs in the past.

“I mean, I think you’re foolish to sit there and look at any of his numbers in the regular season to see what you’re gleaning from that,” Nurse added of Butler. “So yeah, we’ve done some historical study certainly on what we expect to see. We’ve gone back to watch tapes from from series from a couple years ago.”

Butler is a physical player. He’s a smart one who knows how to get to his spots and draw fouls to get to the line and score his points that way. It will be interesting to see how the Sixers attempt to stop him.

“He finds his matchups that he likes,” added Tyrese Maxey. “He knows the spots he wants to get to. He doesn’t get sped up. He knows how to score the ball. He knows how to make plays for his teammates. He’s a competitor at the end of the day. He’s someone that doesn’t like losing so someone like that, you gotta go out there and beat them. You can’t just lay down and expect to win. You gotta go out there and beat him and he’s gonna make it tough for us.”

Regardless, the Sixers will be expecting an aggressive Butler on Wednesday. He will be looking to get the Heat off to a good start and it’s something Philadelphia will have to guard against.

“Again, we’re trying to put our best guess on — but I think it’s safe to guess he’s gonna come out trying to kill us tomorrow,” Nurse finished. “You’re gonna come out and be super aggressive and try to get his team going. For anybody to think he’s gonna be like, ‘Oh, he sure creating a lot and setting up his teammates a lot and not looking for a shot.’ I mean, that’d be one way to look at it, but I don’t know if that’s — I guess that’s the way to look at. I don’t know if that’s the right way.”

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Kelly Oubre Jr. refusing to give any secrets to success vs. Jimmy Butler, Heat

Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is not giving away any secrets to success against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers will play host to the Miami Heat on Wednesday in the 7 vs. 8 play-in tournament game to determine who will be the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

This is the second straight season the Heat are in the play-in tournament. They emerged from it as the No. 8 seed in 2023 and made an improbable run to the NBA Finals. Therefore, Miami deserves respect from everybody around the league. Led by a unique star in Jimmy Butler, the Heat will certainly be no easy out for the Sixers on Wednesday.

Kelly Oubre Jr., who will be matched up with Butler at times, is not giving away any keys or secrets to the media in terms of defending him or the Heat.

“I’m not giving that team no secrets,” Oubre said when asked of the keys against Butler. “He’s smart. He watches this type of stuff and he gets fueled by anything. But he’s a great basketball player. I look forward to going against all the great basketball players in this league and adding my name up there.”

The Heat are famously known for their culture. Butler lives and breathes it. Essentially, it means Miami will work harder than everybody else, and, despite any so-called talent gap, the team will just find a way to rise to the challenge and get the job done.

Once again, though, Oubre isn’t giving any thought to that. He is focused on the Sixers.

“I don’t think about them, so I can’t answer that,” Oubre said. “That’s their stuff. They have a really great fan base. They always put hard-working teams together. Pat Riley, he created that culture over there, and it’s been working for them. But I don’t think about them at all.”

The Sixers and the Heat will match up at 7 p.m. EDT on Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center.

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Sixers discuss challenges of facing Jimmy Butler, Heat culture, zone defense

The Philadelphia 76ers discuss the challenges of defending Jimmy Butler, the Heat Culture, and attacking Miami’s zone defense.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The host Philadelphia 76ers take on a big challenge in the 7 vs. 8 play-in tournament game on Wednesday against the Miami Heat. The Sixers and the Heat split the season series between the two teams, but the Heat are a battle-tested bunch.

The Heat have the ability to rise in the toughest moments and come out successful. They were in the play-in tournament in 2023, emerged as the No. 8 seed and made an incredible run to the NBA Finals. Led by Jimmy Butler, Miami presents a huge challenge.

“He’s a physical player, but if you let him kinda just get to spots where he wants to get to, it’s hard,” KJ Martin said of defending Butler. “So just putting bigger guys. Like, obviously like me, Nico (Batum), or Kelly (Oubre Jr.), whoever, we’ll make it harder for him.”

A big key to Butler’s game is getting to his spots and using his basketball IQ to bait players into fouls. If the Sixers aren’t smart with their defensive schemes and principles, it could be a long night.

“Him not just being able to bully guys and get to the line and stuff like that so limiting his free-throw attempts and staying solid,” Martin added. “Staying down on pump fakes and stuff like that so I think we should be good.”

Miami fell to the Denver Nuggets in the finals, but it was a run nobody will forget. As long as Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are healthy, the Heat will be a tough bunch.

“I can remember about my last 12 games with them, and they’re always hard-played, super intense, physical games,” added coach Nick Nurse. “So that’s OK. That’s what we think we are, too. We want to go out there and scrap with you. Sometimes you’ve got to get ready to do it right from the jump against these guys. Obviously, they’ve got a bunch of other things. Bam’s a great player, Jimmy’s a great player. They’ve got unbelievable complementary pieces.”

Nurse is right. While the Heat have those three guys leading the way, they can also turn to Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier, Caleb Martin and others who all find ways to contribute to winning. It’s the “Heat Culture” they are always preaching down in Miami.

“They’ve got some guys coming back,” Nurse added. “Their health issues are improving. Herro’s back playing. Robinson’s a great shooter. Rozier’s into the fold and explosive. So tons of talents and tons of scoring options that you’ve got to keep your eye on. There’s lots of matchups that we have to play. We just have to prepare for it all.”

The Heat also play a a great deal of zone defense. In a one-game scenario, a zone defense can really throw a wrench into any team’s plans.

“I guess it’s a 2-3, but they pull those wing guys way up,” said Nurse. “They really try to keep the ball from going to the corner, because of how high they pull their wing guys up. There’s certain things that they’re willing to live with that I think fall into an analytical mindset, but it’s a little different. You don’t (typically) see the wing guys covering up so high and their communication is really good. They’re really talking about who’s going where, talking through cutters. They really seem to do a good job of getting matched up in it.”

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10 potential All-Star injury replacements (Trae Young!) for Joel Embiid and Julius Randle in the East

Trae Young deserves a trip to Indiana for the NBA All-Star Game.

The starters and reserves were announced for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game and several players were snubbed.

Two players (Joel Embiid and Julius Randle) in the Eastern Conference, however, are currently injured and are likely not expected back in time for the festivities in Indianapolis on Feb. 18.

Randle is out with a dislocated shoulder while Embiid was diagnosed with a devastating meniscus injury following a controversial return to play after he was a late scratch from a game against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

While it is unclear how long Embiid will remain sidelined, in all likelihood, both players will require replacements in Indiana. Considering that Embiid and Randle are big men, at least one replacement will likely come from the frontcourt.

Here are some of the top candidates that NBA commissioner Adam Silver could consider when he makes his decision:

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Jimmy Butler wants to record an astonishing 200 songs for his upcoming country music album

Jimmy Butler wants to become the DJ Khaled of country music.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is a man of many talents and we may soon find out if music is one of his skills.

Butler, who has previously told us that he averages a perfect score whenever he goes bowling, revealed that he is recording a country music album. It is no secret Butler loves country music (and blasting whatever it is that he is in the mood to listen to in the locker rooms) but this is a surprising revelation.

During a recent feature published by Claire de Lune, however, we learned Butler is already fairly far along in this process. Although he already has more than enough songs for an album, Butler aims to have “around 200” songs to choose from before he releases the project.

Here is more from the insightful story (via The Guardian):

“He’s been quietly working on his own country album for over a year, he says, and while he’s already amassed about 60 (!) songs for the project, he aims to have recorded around 200 to choose from when all is said and done.”

That is a staggering amount of music to record while also playing basketball at the most competitive level, but it will give him a lot of options whenever he is ready to make these recordings public.

If you were hoping to hear Butler’s singing voice on this, unfortunately, you are probably out of luck.

While his fingerprints will be all over the record, Butler sees himself more as a songwriter and as a producer:

He’s unlikely to sing on the album though, as he sees himself in more of a songwriter/producer role (“I’m like the DJ Khaled of this thing,” he deadpans). Butler genuinely admires Khaled’s skill as a curator, telling me, “He’s a crazy talented individual. To bring all these artists together and to have them be able to maintain the egos and be like, ‘Yo, look, this is what we’re trying to get done here,’ he’s mastered it. I freaking love DJ Khaled. ‘We are the best,’ as he would say.”

It is a bummer we won’t hear him singing but this should be a lot of fun.

The 5 fascinating NBA players chosen for Netflix’s documentary series that’s just like Quarterback

This new show on Netflix could be a lot of fun.

After the success of the Quarterback documentary series on Netflix, the streaming platform is reportedly trying a similar model but for NBA stars.

Netflix has done well in the sports world, producing quality shows like Drive To Survive for F1 and Full Swing for golf. With a rich list of characters set to star in the show about basketball, this upcoming series looks like a lot of fun as well.

According to Shams Charania, the show will spotlight five players during its first season: LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards and Domantas Sabonis.

This yet-to-be-named series is produced by several groups, including the production company founded by James and Maverick Carter, The SpringHill Company. Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions as well as Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions will also produce.

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Nikola Jovic: ‘I’m just waiting for the opportunity. You can’t rush through things’

Even though the Miami Heat are in win-now mode, they always have players they develop from the bottom up. Nikola Jovic is the latest young player to go through their system. Now in his second season with the Miami Heat, he hopes to become the next …

Even though the Miami Heat are in win-now mode, they always have players they develop from the bottom up. Nikola Jovic is the latest young player to go through their system. Now in his second season with the Miami Heat, he hopes to become the next Serbian to make a name for himself.

After a recent game against the Clippers, Jovic chatted briefly with HoopsHype to talk about his development, staying patient, the World Cup, and more.

Jimmy Butler, 2 other Heat players joining Sixers’ Joel Embiid on sidelines

The Miami Heat will be missing Jimmy Butler and 2 others while the Philadelphia 76ers will be missing Joel Embiid on Christmas.

Some of the fun was taken out of the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat matchup on Christmas Day when Sixers star Joel Embiid was ruled out due to an ankle sprain.

Now, the Heat will be down several key pieces as well.

Jimmy Butler has been ruled out for the contest for the Heat due to a calf issue. Haywood Highsmith and former Sixers guard Josh Richardson have also been ruled out. Highsmith has a head cold while Richardson is dealing with back spasms.

Those three will join Embiid on the sidelines and the matchup’s focus turns to Tyrese Maxey and Tyler Herro.

The Sixers and the Heat must look to others to step up with their key pieces sidelined. Miami has been able to rely on Herro, Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson in big situations while Maxey has been fantastic. It will be an interesting night when the ball tips off at 8 p.m. EST from the Kaseya Center.

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