The Eastern Conference Finals has heated up between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. The Celtics won Game 5 and have taken a 3-2 lead in the Conference finals with a 93-80 win over the Heat at the FTX Arena.
Jaylen Brown scored a game high 25 points in the game and was the driving force for Ime Udoka’s men along with Jayson Tatum who scored 22 points with 12 rebounds. Whereas Heat talisman Jimmy Butler once again flattered to deceive as he scored only 13 points and could not have an impact that he is usually known for in the playoffs.
NBA Analyst Skip Bayless is not sure what has happened to Jimmy Butler for his drop in performances in the last two matches. Butler’s performances have fallen down the charts and Heat are facing the consequences of his low production on court. Butler is the heart and soul of the team and his energy drives the team with his energy and grit. But his performances off late have brought down the Heat and that has resulted in them losing back to back matches with the Celtics taking the lead in the Conference Finals.
Bayless believes that the Miami Heat are not done yet as he feels that they will make a comeback with Butler leading the scoring charts. On popular sports show ‘The Undisputed’ Bayless said, “I have no idea what’s going on with Jimmy Butler? Is it internal or is it internal just in his knees?… I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but something for the last two games has been very wrong with Jimmy Buckets, Playoff Jimmy.”
Butler has been struggling for sometime now as he scored in single digit in Game 3 and 4 and that has resulted in a downfall for the Heat though they won one of the two games. However in Game 5 his output of 13 points was once again a deciding factor which allowed the Celtics to win and lead the series.
“I’m demoralized watching him not play. Because he plays but he doesn’t play. You wanna talk about timid? You wanna talk about lack of aggression? I can’t even recognize Jimmy Butler in the last game and a half,” Bayless said ahead of Game 5.
The Eastern Conference finals now returns to Boston and with Celtics bringing the lead to their city, Udoka and his men will be looking to close it out in Game 6. With the defence functioning well and both Jayson Tatum and jaylen brown stepping up, they look like a formidable outfit bringing all the momentum back to their homecourt. Whereas Butler and company have struggled in the last two matches.
