Former Sixers guard and true hooper Jimmy Butler poured in an all-time playoff performance on Monday night, dropping a whopping 56 points to pilot the Heat to a massive Game 4 win over the No. 1 seed Bucks. Miami now owns a 3-1 advantage and has Milwaukee on the ropes in the first round.
Butler was incredible all night long, scoring 22 points in the first quarter and hitting tough shots with Bucks defenders draped all over him. It was clear he was Miami's engine on Monday, and there was nothing Milwaukee could do to stop him.
In an on-court interview with TNT's Allie LaForce immediately after the game's dramatic conclusion, LaForce asked Butler what it felt like to hear "M-V-P" chants raining down from the Heat faithful.
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His answer will make Sixers fans smile:
You just have to love Jimmy Butler.
Sure, his "I'm a grinder!" persona can get annoying now and then. He sure loves to remind you how hard he works.
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But when he backs it up with his play, particularly in the postseason, it's hard to fault the guy. It's very clear he works his butt off, because the results bear that work out.
Like all pro sports, the work usually equals the results. Butler is the epitome of that simple formula, and his reputation as one of the league's preeminent postseason players only continues to grow.
We don't need to use this space to re-litigate the Sixers' decision to let Butler walk after his brief stint in Philadelphia. But that No. 22 would look pretty good next to the Sixers' No. 21.
The Sixers, meanwhile, are set to face the winner of the Celtics-Hawks series, which is almost certainly going to be Boston. If they manage to defeat their ultimate Eastern Conference nemesis, it appears the Heat will be facing either the Knicks or Cavaliers in the next round - a favorable matchup for the Sixers rather than Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, until you remember that Butler might be the deadliest force in the East right now.
What a fascinating postseason, and were only one round in.