Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Sends Warning To Rest Of NBA Playoff Teams

It's the time of year when the Miami Heat and superstar Jimmy Butler come to life, the NBA playoffs.

Last season, the Heat reached the NBA Finals after battling out of the Play-In Tournaments as the East's No. 8 seed. However, their historic journey was cut short by Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in a gentleman's sweep. SLAM 249 featured Butler, where he sent a warning to the rest of the playoff teams.

"It’s the time where people really gotta think about going up against the Miami Heat and myself. I know what I’m capable of; I know what my squad is capable of," Butler said And nobody wants to see us in a 7-game series, anyway; we know that."

Butler finished the regular season averaging 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and five assists on 49.9 percent shooting and 41.4 percent from three-point range (career-high). It wasn't his best individual year, but 'Playoff Jimmy' is the Heat's true hero. He averaged 26.9 points and 6.5 rebounds on 46.8 percent shooting last postseason.

Not only did Butler send a message to the rest of the league, but is excited for the challenge of playing the Philadelphia 76ers on the road in the Play-In.

"That's a question that I don't have the answer to. I wish we played better at home. I don't know. Whenever we get on the road, our back against the wall a little bit," Butler said. "I guess we get out of our comfort zone, and then we really start making things happen, so I'm actually kind of glad we're on the road."

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributing writer to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla