At this point, Jimmy Butler is toying with the Celtics.
Butler combined for 62 points in the first two games of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, which both concluded with Heat wins at TD Garden. The Miami superstar only scored 16 on Sunday night at Kaseya Center, but a stat-sheet stuffer wasn’t needed in his team’s convincing 26-point win over Boston.
The six-time All-Star did provide a pair of Game 3 highlights that had the basketball world buzzing, though. One game after they went nose-to-nose in Boston, Butler pointed directly at Grant Williams following an and-1 basket in the second quarter. And later in the game, the 12th-year pro gave Al Horford a taste of his own medicine after a 3-pointer forced the Celtics to call a timeout.
Both scenes made it into an Instagram post shared by Butler the morning after Miami took a commanding 3-0 series lead. The series of photos was captioned “five,” the number of wins the Heat now need in order to claim the 2023 NBA championship.
Butler and company will try to trim their victory countdown to four Tuesday night when they host the Celtics for Game 4. Tipoff for Boston’s must-win contest in South Beach is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
