Game 7: A peek into the future
Basketball-Reference box score.
Jimmy Butler never wanted the stardom that he currently has. He told us so after he dropped a career-high 35 points in yet another win over the Knicks. According to the AP report on the game, Butler said, “I don’t want to be a star. I just want to be a decent role player on a really good team.”
You can’t always get what you want, Jimmy.
The New York Knicks, without Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith or Iman Shumpert, fell to the TNT Bulls thanks to an impressive showing from Butler. 35 points on 11-for-21 shooting, five rebounds, seven assists, four steals and four 3-pointers was more than enough to give New York their 23rd loss on the season in mid-December. Cheer up, Knicks fans. You’re about to get Kristaps Porzingis.
Pau Gasol scored 20 points of his own and Joakim grabbed 13 boards, but it was Butler’s night, with many considering this to be the best game of his career to date. This season, a stat line like that would still be awesome, but it likely wouldn’t turn any heads. That’s just who Butler is now.
Fun fact about this game: Hinrich passed Norm Van Lier for third most assists in Bulls franchise history. Who knows, maybe he can join the other nine point guards on the current roster and go for the No. 2 spot before season’s end. Stranger things have happened this year.