Jimmy Butler’s second half in Game 1 against Celtics showed why you pay him $95 million
Jimmy Butler had just seven points at halftime of Game 1 on Sunday against the Boston Celtics. He finished with 30 points and led the Bulls to a victory because that’s what franchise players do.
Before the Chicago Bulls’ 106-102 surprising win over the top-seeded Boston Celtics on Sunday night in Boston, one of the hot questions entering the best-of-seven series itself was: how many wins could Jimmy Butler carry the Bulls to on their way to a likely first-round exit?
The answer so far? One.
Butler got 33 combined points and 19 combined rebounds from the always-reliable Robin Lopez and the emerging Bobby Portis in Sunday’s victory over the 53-win Celtics to take a 1-0 series lead, but when it comes to the postseason, having the best player on the floor can tilt the game and/or series in your favor.
The Bulls have that in Butler, who scored just seven points at the break and finished with 30 points and nine rebounds, including 15 of the Bulls’ 32 points in the final quarter alone.
“It’s good to be able to have a guy like that to say, ‘Get us 30,” Dwyane Wade said, via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune after the four-point win. “And then go guard the guy who got 30.’”
The guy he’s referring to is Isaiah Thomas, who poured in a game-high 33 points just one day after losing his younger sister in a tragic car accident in Washington state. Thomas cooked early and often when he was on the floor, but down the stretch, the second-tier MVP candidate just couldn’t make the plays he needed to with Butler hounding his every move.
In that same time span for the Bulls offensively (give or take a couple seconds on the start and finish), Butler had five points, an assist and a block of a Thomas layup attempt.
“We’ll ride Jimmy until we can’t ride him no more,” Wade said, via Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
The Bulls rode Butler down the stretch of the game like he was Secretariat. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg made the wise move of subbing out Butler while Thomas was getting a rest early in the fourth quarter. Thomas subbed back in at the 8:44 mark of the fourth, but Hoiberg kept Butler sidelined for about 90 seconds longer and got his star back into the game for the homestretch.
It’s a small thing in terms of getting guys a quick breather, but that rest kept Butler fresh enough to limit Thomas offensively.
“If I foul, I foul,” Butler said, via Sean Highkin of The Athletic Chicago.
“If I don’t foul, great. I challenge every shot. Contest everything at the rim. We all know what he’s done this year, putting the ball in the basket. I think I can guard anybody.”
Butler’s confidence wasn’t just glowing on the defensive end. He scored 15 of his 30 points in the final frame, including 10 of the Bulls’ final 19 points in the last 5:14 of the contest.
It’s just one game in a potentially long series, but Butler and the Bulls realize that the job is far from finished in pulling off just the sixth 1-8 series upset in NBA playoff history.
“I don’t know about a statement game,” Rajon Rondo said, via Johnson when asked about Chicago’s Game 1 victory. “All we did is win one game.”
“We didn’t come here just to win one game, Butler said, via Friedell.
“We came here to win. Period.”