Butler has taken far fewer 3-pointers in these playoffs (2.6 attempts per 100 possessions against a postseason career average of 4.7 per 100) but this was a conscious decision to simplify and overpower the Lakers by force of will. But what that stat misses is that he didn’t even attempt a 3-pointer. He scored 40 points without making a 3-pointer: This nugget was passed around a bit last night, with Butler becoming the first player to score 40 in a Finals game since Shaq in 2002 without making a 3-pointer. What else made Jimmy Butler’s Game 3 triple-double so special? But we found a few eye other eye-popping nuggets to contextualize this legendary game. You’ve probably heard that Butler’s performance in Game 3 was the second-greatest Finals performance ever by Game Score and that he joined LeBron James and Jerry West as the only players to record a 40-point triple-double in a Finals game. He quite literally did it all and single-handedly changed the momentum of the series, even if Miami’s odds of a complete comeback remain incredibly long. Facing a 2-0 deficit and another crucial game without Bam Adebayo or Goran Dragic, Butler put his team on his back - finishing with 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. But it’s not the least bit hyperbolic to say that Jimmy Butler just saved the Miami Heat’s Finals hopes. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning.īasketball is a team sport and ascribing team outcomes entirely to a single player is usually a lesson in hyperbole. The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more.
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