Before the sixth inning against the Celtics tonight, it was said – almost jokingly – that the Heat would need a LeBron in 2012 mode to survive in the series. But with Jimmy Butler struggling for three games, it was hard to imagine a scenario in which Jimmy imitated the legendary performance of the King ten years ago, in this same room. And yet…
A Game 6 to play in Boston, being down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. It was the challenge that LeBron James had to take up on June 7, 2012, when the whole NBA was ready to fall on him in the event of another premature elimination in the Playoffs. We remember it like it was yesterday. The King had responded as a boss by releasing a legendary performance in 45 points – 15 rebounds – 5 assists in what is perhaps the biggest game of his career given the context. His legacy was at stake, the Heat’s Big Three was under threat of dissolution, and opposite was that Pierce – Garnett – Allen trio that was the source of so many nightmares for the King in the Playoffs. This performance still represents a huge turning point in the career of LeBron, NBA champion for the first time two weeks later. And this image with the dark look has since entered the legend.
On May 27, 2022, Jimmy Butler faced a similar challenge. Not the same context of course, not really the same pressure either, but a parallel situation: a victory on the floor of TD Garden in the final of conf ‘, or the holidays in Cancun. And like LeBron ten years ago, Jimmy just didn’t want the season to end tonight. 47 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals in 46 minutes, 16/29 in shooting including 4/8 from 3-pointers and 11/11 in free throws. Present on all fronts despite the sores, remarkable in leadership and clutching well when the Celtics seemed on the verge of taking control in the money time, Jimmy Buckets dropped a masterclass among masterclasses to keep the Heat alive and force a Game 7 in Florida on Sunday.
In addition to the obvious similarities that can be found between these two performances, it is above all the feeling offered by the two men that brings them closer together. We were in front of our screen ten years ago to watch LeBron’s Game 6. Of course, we watched Jimmy’s Game 6 tonight. As in 2012, we didn’t really feel Miami recovering from its Game 5 defeat at home. At the time, we were already sinking the King and the Heat even before the tip-off of the meeting, this was also the case before Game 6 tonight following Miami’s two consecutive defeats and the physical glitches affecting the Florida team. So each time, we approached the meeting without wanting to put too much hope on a victory for the Heat, and each time there is a man on a mission who came to install the air conditioning in the TD Garden. Ten years ago, LeBron James truly flew over the meeting without giving Boston a chance. Jimmy Butler did the same on Friday night, except that the match could go either way. Still, watching Butler string together boss moves and constantly respond to Boston’s comeback attempts, we thought exactly the same as a decade ago: This guy isn’t going to let his team lose this game. . And that’s what happened. Like the King, Jimmy Buckets has validated his masterpiece with enormous success, it remains to be seen now if he will manage to sublimate it by taking Miami to the end in these Playoffs.
We felt like we were going back ten years that night. Jimmy Butler achieved a relatively similar feat to LeBron James in 2012, which is just huge. The kind of performance that allows you to become a legend, even more so if it ends with an NBA title. The King did it a decade ago, can Jimmy emulate it one more time?