Jimmy Butler just sent a strong message to the rest of the NBA after Heat crushed the Celtics in Game 1

Jimmy Butler is that guy. There isn’t much else to say about the Miami Heat franchise player that hasn’t already been said. He was the embodiment of #HeatCulture and the star player of a team that once again has championship aspirations.

He showed it in full screen on Tuesday. On a night when Jayson Tatum tried to establish himself as the star of the series in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, Jimmy Butler was the undisputed best player on the field.

Going through Ira Winderman:

“I play like I play to win,” Butler said after the Heat’s 118-107 win over the Celtics.

The Celtics held a double-digit lead in the first half, with Tatum continuing to make his case as a true superstar and potentially a top-five player. He had 21 first-half points on a Heat team that sometimes looked like a deer in the headlights in the first two quarters.

Not only did Jimmy Butler tie Tatum, but he also made him look like a lesser star by scoring an even bigger half after intermission. Jimmy Buckets saw Tatum’s 21 in a single half and said “look at this”, scoring 27 of his 41 points in the second half. Butler also helped set the tone defensively for the Heat and was a big reason the Celtics star recorded six turnovers in the third quarter alone.

“I like to fight with the guys that I had against the Boston Celtics for three other wins,” Butler said on pave the way for the rest of the heat.

Game ECF 1 Jimmy Butler:

41 dots
9 rebounds
5 assists
4 interceptions
3 blocks

Mr Jimmy Buckets. The first player in NBA playoff history to reach those numbers since interceptions and blocks were recorded….
in 1974 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZQYPHZd5WF

—ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 18, 2022

The NBA is a league run by stars. If you asked anyone heading to the conference finals what the brightest stars left on the field were, the other three teams would easily have theirs ahead of Miami.

The Golden State Warriors have Stephen Curry. The Dallas Mavericks have Luka Doncic. And the Boston Celtics have Jayson Tatum. Any way you look at it, whether it’s in the superstar cache, count stats, or All-Star votes, Jimmy Butler is the fourth man on this list.

But the difference with Jimmy Butler is that he clearly doesn’t see it that way. He tackles any opponent head-on, literally and figuratively, with a clear expectation that he’s not the one who gets knocked sideways when they butt heads. It is not “stop first”.

“I like physicality, I want to meet people and see who goes down first. I want to see who goes down first,” the Heat star said.

For the Heat to become the last team in the final four, they will need Jimmy Butler to play as the best player on the ground for another seven wins. But if you ask him, he doesn’t think about expectations. Le mans is just ready to do the hoop.