Miami Heat Will Go Far As "Playoff Jimmy" Takes Them

The Miami Heat are one of two NBA teams with three players averaging at least 20 points a game.

With no disrespect to Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, the Heat will only go far as Jimmy Butler takes them in the postseason. In other words, no "Playoff Jimmy," no success.

It's come to that after Saturday's win against the Dallas Mavericks. The Heat won despite Bam Adebayo's absence but needed another huge night from Butler.

He finished with 32 points, 12 assists and no turnovers.

"The key to everything was Jimmy," Heat guard Max Strus said. "He's so good. It makes everybody so much better. He's easy to play with. It makes us look good ... The game is simple. He makes it simple. He's one of the smartest players I've ever been around, one of the greatest basketball minds I've ever seen."

It just shows the importance of Butler the way he outshines a pair of budding stars in Adebayo and Herro. Butler has been the Heat's lone constant while Adebayo and Herro have battled inconsistency.

So the Heat's hope in a repeat appearance in last year's Eastern Conference finals rest solely on Butler.

"His competitiveness will always trump everything," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He lives for the competitive moments. He's going to rise above the competition and carry us along with him and he'll do it on both ends of the court."

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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