Jimmy Butler’s Top 5 Performances Of 2014-15 Season

Apr 27, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) looks to pass the ball against Milwaukee Bucks forward

(34) in game five of the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

2. Even in defeat, Butler shows how far he’s come

The Bulls had a tough time closing out the Milwaukee Bucks in their first-round series this past April. After taking the first three games of the series, the young Bucks battled back to force a Game 6, where … well, it wasn’t pretty. (The Bulls won by fifty-four. 54.)

But, in a thrilling Game 4 that saw Jerryd Bayless hit a buzzer-beating backdoor lay-in on Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler was sensational. Butler scored a game-high 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting, including a smoking 5-for-7 performance from three-point land.

Butler made 12 of his 18 shot attempts, while the Bulls shot 21-for-50 collectively as a unit (minus Butler). Whenever the Bulls needed a bucket, it wasn’t Rose or Gasol who they turned to. The big moments called for Jimmy Butler to make a play.

Personally, I probably should’ve picked Butler’s 31-point performance from Game 2 (which was also a 91-82 Bulls win to take a 2-0 series lead), but the first half from Butler in this game was easily the best I’ve ever seen Jimmy Butler play in a Bulls uniform. He literally did everything offensively — three-pointers, post work, free throws, finishing in the lane — and looked like a completely different player from just two seasons ago.

Next: 1. Butler beats the Carmelo-less Knicks by himself