Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem had a lot of praise for Jimmy Butler following his dominant display in the Play-In Tournament. He even went as far as to put him over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in one area.
Butler had whatever he wanted in the Golden State Warriors' 121-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. He put forth a dominant stat line of 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He shot 12-of-20 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 12-of-18 from the free-throw line.
Haslem reacted to Butler's performance on ESPN's NBA Countdown. He revealed a conversation he had with Wade, saying that Butler's intelligence surpasses him and James.
“You are talented as hell. LeBron has been talented as hell. But Jimmy is way smarter than y'all,” Haslem said.
What's next for Heat in NBA Playoffs
It's an interesting statement for Udonis Haslem to make about Jimmy Butler, especially when he played with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James throughout his 21-year career in the NBA.
In the meantime, the Heat are coming off a convincing 109-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. They took a 71-47 lead at halftime and never looked back, dominating the Bulls on both sides of the ball.
Four players scored in double-digits for the Heat. Tyler Herro led the way with a marvelous stat line of 38 points, five rebounds and four assists. He shot 13-of-19 from the field, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Andrew Wiggins came next with 20 points and nine rebounds, Bam Adebayo put up 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Davion Mitchell provided 15 points and nine assists.
Miami finished the regular season with a 37-45 record, taking the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They took part in the Play-In Tournament for the third consecutive season, looking to keep their streak of advancing from it.
The Heat will prepare for their last matchup of the Play-In Tournament, competing for the eighth and final seed. They face the Atlanta Hawks on April 18 at 7 p.m. ET.
