Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 128-126 overtime NBA playoff win over the Milwaukee Bucks:
– Who saw this coming?
– Jimmy Butler.
– Playoff Jimmy.
– No matter whether he wants the nickname.
– And Erik Spoelstra.
– Because he doesn’t need a full roster.
– Or even the best of Bam Adebayo.
– So even without Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, the Heat are moving on.
– And even Pat Riley and Andy Elisburg saw it coming.
– Because, as Spoelstra likes to say, the Heat did have enough.
– Because Gabe Vincent was enough.
– Because Kevin Love at the buyout deadline was enough.
– Because how could it be anything but Heat-Knicks next?
– With Alonzo Mourning among those on the scene Wednesday in Milwaukee.
– This is what the playoffs do.
– They change the narrative.
– Which the Heat just did.
– And will set out to do again Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
– That play-in loss to the Hawks?
– Might have been the best thing.
– Because the Bucks at clutch time?
– Well, just say they haven’t had the same experience as the Heat in that aspect this season.
– As for Butler?
– Who dare doubt now?
– Especially with even brighter lights to follow.
– The Heat opened for the third consecutive game with a lineup of Adebayo, Love, Butler, Max Strus and Vincent.
– With the start, Butler moved past Ron Harper for 70th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– The Bucks again started Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen.
– Holiday again opened defensively on Butler.
– Caleb Martin was the Heat’s first reserve.
– Cody Zeller and Lowry followed together for eight deep.
– With Duncan Robinson and Haywood Highsmith then making it 10 deep.
– Robinson’s appearance tied him with Ray Allen for 14th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Spoelstra spoke pregame of the conditioning that has allowed Butler to reach this playoff level, offering a comparison to Udonis Haslem.
– “I’ve said this many times. I said it about UD the other day. The same thing applies for Jimmy, ‘He is us. We are him,’ " Spoelstra said. “He is everything about what we believe in, in terms of conditioning and work and preparing your body, all of that.”
– Spoelstra added, “This is not something that just turns on like people are talking about. There’s a lot of training and working year round, particularly in the offseason.”
– The Bucks entered seeking to become the first team since the 2020 Nuggets to overcome a 3-1 series deficit, with that happening in the Disney World pandemic quarantine bubble.
– The last team to do it in a typical season was the Cavaliers against the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
– The Bucks also faced becoming just the sixth No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in a best-of-seven series.
– Of the Heat’s attitude going into the closeout game, Adebayo said, “They always say this is the hardest game to win.”
– But Adebayo said the Heat also entered with ample motivation.
– “We don’t want to give them any momentum, that’s the biggest thing,” he said.
– Asked about his approach to closeout games, Spoelstra said, “Everything’s got to be about finishing. It’s a finishing mentality.”
– As expected, Butler saw some defensive coverage by Antetokounmpo.
– “Jimmy’s faced a lot of different coverages over the course of the season and part of his effectiveness is he can play with the ball, off the ball, play on the baseline, play on top of the floor, whatever may be needed,” Spoelstra said.
– Butler’s first shot moved him past Kevin Johnson for 78th on the NBA all-time playoff list, with his sixth moving him past Maurice Cheeks for 77th.
– Butler’s first defensive rebound moved him past John Stockton for 100th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Lowry’s first 3-pointer moved him past Scottie Pippen and Michael Finley for 23rd on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Love’s first 3-pointer moved him past Dirk Nowitzki for 49th on the NBA all-time playoff list, with his second tying Terry Porter for 48th.
– Love’s first 3-pointer was the 150th of his playoff career.
– Vincent’s third assist moved him past Eddie Jones for 15th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
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