MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 26: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat shoots over Wesley Matthews #23 ... [+]
The Miami Heat sent the Milwaukee Bucks packing Wednesday night, when they won Game 5 - on the road no less - in dramatic overtime fashion.
Jimmy Butler followed up his epic 56-point performance by going for 42 points, eight rebounds, and a tip-shot that sent the game to overtime - while also compiling enough defensive plays to make a highlight reel.
His talent and production, especially when the games count as they do right now, has been otherworldly for years now.
Yet, for whatever reason, the 33-year-old often flies under the radar.
Butler belongs in the conversation as one the league's super elites, yet that conversation only seems to happen when he's dominating in the playoffs. During the regular season, he becomes a type of afterthought. He's made just two All-Star games over the past four years, despite elite defensive production, a 20-plus-point scoring average, elite offensive efficiency, and an ability to rarely turn the ball over.
However, when the playoffs begin, the Butler love fest takes hold almost immediately, and people - fans and media alike - are reminded of just how spectacular of a player he is.
So let's just call him for what he is, and this time do it consistently.
A superstar. A fully-fledged, no-nonsense, clear-cut NBA superstar. Among the best of the best.
After all, stepping up in the playoffs is the whole point of being competitive in a postseason. Should he be penalized for not averaging 37.6 points per game in the regular season, like he just did against the Bucks? That would be a preposterous standard.
Butler is playing this the right way. He's using the regular season as a ramping up process, so he enters the postseason with enough juice to challenge the best of the best, and match them every step of the way. Or, as we're seeing, exceed them.
Sure, not going full-out in the regular season means any chance of winning the MVP goes out the window, but that seems like a worthy sacrifice if it means you can drag your team future when it matters.
And yes, Butler absolutely dragged his team to the second round this year.
Bam Adebayo, his All-Star teammate, was frequently limited and passive during the Bucks series, netting just 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds, while leading the team in turnovers and fouls.
Tyler Herro, the team's third-leading scorer, went out in Game 1 with a broken hand, and will miss the rest of the playoffs.
Victor Oladipo, averaging double-digits, played in two games and was also ruled out of the postseason after tearing his patellar tendon in his left knee.
Kyle Lowry looked every bit like the 37-year-old that he is, and mustered just 7.6 points per game.
Instead, Butler had to rely on Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and Duncan Robinson for spacing, not exactly a trio of names you'd often associate with significant playoff success.
But that, in a nutshell, is what Butler does. It doesn't matter who is next to him or what their specific skills are. In his mind, and in his actions, he'll compensate. If the Heat are in need of an extra effort on defense, he'll provide that. If they need a lift offensively, as they did in Game 4 and 5, he'll score 98 points over those two games.
Even three-point shooting, which has never been Butler's area of strength, became one against the Bucks as he knocked down 44.4% of his 27 attempts. Miami needed every single one of them.
The term "Heat culture" is often attributed to players who work hard in Miami. The idea is that the Miami Heat organization holds its players to a certain standard, that the culture itself assists players in performing to above expectations.
Butler isn't a product of Heat culture, as he had this edge years before signing with Miami. But he has changed the concept, and raised the meaning of it, by constantly outperforming himself, over and over again. He has personified what it means to go further, to achieve unexpected results, and to give everything that you can possibly give, to reach your destination.
If that isn't superstar behavior, what is?
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
