NBA Watch League Pass

'Playoff Jimmy' Butler adds to legendary list of best playoff games with career-high, Heat record

Kyle Irving

•
'Playoff Jimmy' Butler adds to legendary list of best playoff games with career-high, Heat record image

"Playoff Jimmy" was at it again.

The headlines surrounding Game 4 between the Bucks and Heat were all focused on Giannis Antetokounmpo's return from a lower back injury as Milwaukee looked to even the series at two games apiece. Jimmy Butler didn't care who he was up against, carrying Miami to a victory behind one of the greatest playoff performances in franchise history.

There are hardly words to describe what we just saw from Butler. The Heat forward delivered a transcendent experience, completely taking over in the fourth quarter to will Miami to a 3-1 series lead.

Butler made a dent in the playoff record books with his Game 4 performance, both for the NBA and the Heat franchise. Take a look at how Butler's nuclear explosion put the top-seeded Bucks on the brink of elimination.

MORE: Where Butler's 56 points rank all-time in playoff history

How "Playoff Jimmy" Butler took over Game 4 vs. Bucks

Butler wasted no time to get going in Game 4, going off for a franchise-record 22 points in the first quarter on near-perfect 9-for-10 shooting from the field.

He completely dominated from the get-go and any time it felt like the Bucks were going to pull away, Butler was there to keep the Heat in striking distance.

Butler was relatively quiet in the second and third quarters, going for two and 11 points, respectively, but the Heat star forward was gearing up for a heroic fourth quarter finish.

Miami trailed by 12 points with six minutes to go, but Butler wasn't going home without a win. He erupted for 21 points in the final frame — nearly outscoring the Bucks (26) as a whole — including back-to-back dagger jump shots in the final minute to give the Heat a lead they wouldn't surrender.

Butler finished with 56 points, tying him with Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan for the fourth-most points in playoff history.

No player in Heat playoff franchise history has topped that number — not LeBron James, nor Dwyane Wade. In NBA history, only Jordan (63 points), Elgin Baylor (61) and Donovan Mitchell (57) have posted a higher scoring total in the playoffs.

Why is Jimmy Butler called "Playoff Jimmy"?

This is far from the first we've seen of "Playoff Jimmy."

When you think about Prime LeBron or Prime Wade terrorizing teams during their Heat days, you'd probably assume Butler lands third among players on the list of Heat playoff performances.

Well, according to Basketball-Reference's Game Score tool (which gives a rough measure of a player's productivity in a single game), Butler was already responsible for seven of the 10 best playoff outings in Miami franchise history.

And that was before the franchise playoff record-breaking 56 points he dropped tonight.

Among those performances are:

  • 2022 Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 vs. BOS: 47 PTS, 9 REB, 8 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK
  • 2020 NBA Finals Game 3 vs. LAL: 40 PTS, 13 AST, 11 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK
  • 2020 NBA Finals Game 5 vs. LAL: 35 PTS, 12 REB, 11 AST, 5 STL, 1 BLK

Let that serve as your reminder that "Playoff Jimmy" served up the third 40-point triple-double in NBA Finals history against James and the Lakers, rendering this legendary meme that will go in the NBA Twitter Hall of Fame.

After his 56-point performance tonight, go ahead and throw this meme in the NBA Twitter Hall of Fame as well.

And while it's clear that Butler elevates his play on the NBA's biggest stage, he denied the idea of "Playoff Jimmy" in his postgame press conference after the win on Monday.

"It's not a thing. It's not. I just be hooping," he said with a smile on his face.

Whether he wants to admit it or not, Butler is one of the most dangerous 16-game players of his era. There is no denying that.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.