Maybe it was Bruce Lee. Maybe it was Jackie Chan or Tony Jaa. Everyone has that one fighter who unlocked an entire genre for them. That genre used to be difficult to share, but not anymore.
Here are the 51 Greatest Fight Scenes...According To One Guy:
Jimmy Butler currently has 48 clutch points in the 2020 Playoffs. The only players with more in a single postseason this decade are Kawhi Leonard (58 in 2019) and Dirk Nowitzki (66 in 2011).
Miami now has four playoff games in the past two seasons with 50% shooting from three...against Boston.
No other team has more than one...against anyone.
35 points
12 rebounds
11 assists
5 steals
Jimmy Butler is the first player in NBA Finals history to put up those numbers. And he made all the big plays at the end.
Jimmy Butler is the third Heat player to post a 45-5-5 in the postseason. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James each did it once.
Jimmy Butler is the first Heat player to post a 45-5-5 in the postseason with zero turnovers.
Bam Adebayo last night became the 8th player in NBA Playoff History to put up 26-12-8 before their 24th birthday. The list is:
Oscar
Kareem
Barkley (2x)
Shaq
Baron Davis
LeBron
Luka
Bam
Jerry West and LeBron James both have 40-point triple doubles in the Finals, but Jimmy Butler is the only one to do it with the 40 point, 13 assist, 11 rebound line.
However you slice it, that's history.
Bam Adebayo is the youngest player ever to put up 32-14-5 in a Conference Finals game, and just the 7th player age 23 or younger to post that line in *any* playoff game.
Jimmy Butler is the first player in Heat history to post a line of...
11 Assists
9 Rebounds
6 Steals
3 Blocks
And he's just the 5th player *on record* to post that line in NBA History.
per
@bball_ref
.
Jimmy Butler is the 5th player in NBA playoff history to put up 22-6-6 in a first half. He joins:
Westbrook (2017)
LeBron (2017)
Harden (2019)
Doncic (2020)
Only LeBron did it before in a Finals game.
I've never seen a run like Miami just put together, I don't think anyone else has seen a run like Miami put together, and we may never see another one like it.
Just a magical, often confusing, wild, wacky and unbelievably impressive two months. Real tell your grandkids stuff.
Total Switches
Smart: 558
Bam: 684
Switches Per 100
Smart: 9.4
Bam: 17.9
Deleted the previous tweet because I had my filters setup specifically for Bam (as the screener defender). Bam remains possibly the most prolific switch defender in league history.
Marcus Smart makes his case for Defensive Player of the Year, fires shot at Rudy Gobert
"Rudy can't guard all five spots. I can guard all five spots and I have been doing it. I've done it very well."
Jimmy Butler tonight:
29 points
7 rebounds
9 assists
5 steals
1 block
Third player in Heat franchise history to post those numbers, one of which was already Jimmy Butler (in the NBA Finals). Other two are Wade and Sherman Douglas.
Last night the Heat posted the 4th 50-40-90 game in NBA Finals history. The previous three:
2019, TOR* @ GSW Game 3
2017, GSW* vs CLE Game 2
1986, BOS* vs HOU Game 2
That's three title winners and two of the best teams of all time. Rare air.
Tyler Herro is the second-youngest player to score 35 points in a playoff game, joining Derrick Rose and Magic Johnson among those to do so before their 21st birthdays.
He may not be holding the MVP trophy, but Miami doesn't win that series without Caleb Martin. That's all-timer stuff from one of the best guys in the league.
Jimmy Butler's +36 in Game 5 is tied for the third-highest postseason plus/minus for the Heat since 1997 (as far back as the data goes).
All-Time Heat leader is Shane Battier with a +42 in Game 2 vs. Chicago in the Second Round of 2013.
Duncan Robinson is currently shooting 40.9% on 8.5 attempts from three per game.
If he finishes over 40% on 8+ attempts, he'll be just the third player in league history with at least two seasons above those marks, joining Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Did people really not already know that Spo is a Hall of Fame lock? He hasn’t even turned 50 and he’s 12th in All-Time playoff victories. There isn’t a debate.
By popular demand, Bam Adebayo vs. Butler, LeBron and Curry.
More to defense than these isolated events, but they sure are some impressive flashes for a rookie center.
The Heat are +13.7 points per 100 possessions better when Duncan Robinson is on the court. Among players with at least 1,000 minutes this season, that is No. 1 in the league.
He's very good, and crucial to Miami's success.
Heat's clutch offense (last four minutes tonight) was actually pretty good in the end with an 128.6 Offensive Rating, which normally would be more than enough for them.
Problem was Portland's Offensive Rating in those last four minutes was 242.9. That is not a typo.
Since 2019 Austin Butler has worked with or will be working with:
Jim Jarmusch
Quentin Tarantino
Baz Luhrmann
Jeff Nichols
Denis Villeneuve
Ari Aster
Darren Aronofsky
And starred in a Spielberg/Hanks WW2 series for Apple. That's how you build a damn career.
Through 3 Playoff Games
Heat with...
Bam ON: +50
Bam OFF: -20
He hasn't been perfect, but few players are better at making a huge impact on the game when they aren't perfect.
Victor Oladipo is the 11th player in Heat history to score 25 points in one half.
Wade did it 25 times. LeBron did it 9 times. Nobody else has more than two.
The Final 3 Minutes...
LeBron: 2 FT's
Jimmy: Pull-Up Jumper
LeBron: And-One
Jimmy: Fadeaway Jumper
LeBron: Putback
Jimmy: 2 FT's
Davis: Putback
Jimmy: 2 FT's
Herro: 2 FT's
No lead greater than two until Herro's final free-throws.
Josh Richardson finished the season holding his matchup to 6.7 percent worse shooting inside of 10 feet, the best mark in the league among players 6-foot-6 or shorter. Always guarding elite offensive players.
He should absolutely be in the conversation for All-Defense.
Over his last four games, Bam Adebayo has averaged 25.5 points on 53.7% shooting , 14.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks.
The only other players in NBA history to do that over four games are:
Hakeem (2x)
Bird (2x)
Giannis (2x)
Kareem (13x)
Only fitting that on the final night of the season, Miami sets the record with their 45th game, regular season and playoffs combined, decided by five points or less.
It was quite literally the most clutch season of all time, and it sure felt like it.
That was Butler's second buzzer-beating winner with Miami - he had the lob against Houston last year - and the fourth overall for Miami since 2020. Butler is now tied with LeBron, Tim Hardaway and Voshon Lenard for buzzer-beaters in a Heat jersey, and one behind Dwyane Wade.
1. I've got Oladipo on me, let's call for a pick.
2. Oh, there's Bam, let's kick it out now.
3. Shoot, he's got Iguodala, it's probably coming back to me.
4. Got it, let's atta...there's Bam again.
Heat's rotation is almost always going to have 3+ switchable guys up top now.
"I know it sounds like mental warfare between me and Spo..."
Bam Adebayo is one of the best switch defenders in league history, but as the Heat's roster changes Erik Spoelstra is asking him to do more and more of the complete opposite.
And it's working.
Hassan Whiteside's 18 points and 15 rebounds in fewer than 21 minutes against Charlotte last night was the first such game in the NBA since 1983, and the second such game since 1967.
Before we call it a night, a special mention needs to be made of Heat Twitter and all of its many, many reverse jinxes. They almost willed Miami to a title in 2020 and almost did it again this year.
Forget 2020. This isn't that. The Heat and Celtics might see a bit of each other in the mirror, and neither has just one way to stop the other.
As schemes take shape around Butler and Tatum, this may be one of the great defensive battles of our time.
Bam Adebayo just posted...
14 rebounds
5 assists
4 blocks
3 steals
And now he's just the second player in NBA history, since blocks were recorded, to put up those numbers with fewer than 10 points.
Draymond Green was the first to do so, in 2016.
When Miami was making late comebacks against Bucks and Celtics, the best players on those teams got discombobulated and Miami played off misses/turnovers.
Felt very different tonight when Denver could just throw the ball to Jokic. Nuggets were persistent in their combobulation.
It's tough to make an argument for a guard when Bam does everything they do, often even better, plus more.
Points Allowed Per Isolation (Shot/Foul/TO)
Smart: 0.87 (64 poss)
Bridges: 1.01 (128 poss)
Bam: 0.74 (140 poss)
Steals+Blocks/Game
Smart: 2.0
Bridges: 1.6
Bam: 2.3
New ESPN story: Marcus Smart and Mikal Bridges both believe they have strong cases to win this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award. After big men have dominated it for the past 30 years, should perimeter players get more consideration to win DPOY?
Fear is the mind-killer
Where the fear is gone
Only Tyler Herro will remain
Jimmy Butler has been telling us about Herro since the early days of the season. Now, you have no choice but to believe him.