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Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo is appalled with the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler for missing his team's Game 5 of their first round win against the Atlanta Hawks. He believes the players have gotten soft now as opposed to the stars in the 80s who played through injury and pain.
Despite Butler's absence, the Heat completed a 4-1 series win to move into the semifinals. On the popular sports debate show "First Take" on ESPN, Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo said about Butler for missing a playoff game:
"This is playoff game. I was shocked that he did not play yesterday. Jimmy Butler, he got knee inflammation? Oh my God, this is the NBA playoffs. It's not like he played 82 games either."
Jimmy Butler played just 57 games this season, so he doesn't have the excuse of load management or health.
Russo believes missing 25 games in the regular season is enough for Butler to fight through minor pain and play in a crucial Game 5. Close-out games are often considered the hardest in a series, so the leader of the Heat missing such a game was staggering.
Kyle Lowry missed the game too, but 'Mad Dog' Russo gave him a pass, as the point guard missed the previous game as well. Russo added:
"How is Jimmy Butler not playing in Game 5 of a playoff series that can close out a team? Lowry, alright, he missed Game 4. Where is Butler? He's supposed to be the best player on their team, their leader. He gotta fight through it and get out there and play. And he knows if they win, they got 6 days off."
Even with Butler and Lowry's absence, the Heat closed out the Atlanta Hawks in five games. They now have six days before facing the winner of the Philadelphia-Toronto series in the semi-finals; that series has gone 5+ games. Hence, Butler could have played the close-out Game 5 and rested till the second round.
'Mad Dod' Russo loves giving examples of older players who played through pain and adversity. He mentioned Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas and even Willis Reed from the 1970s New York Knicks to emphasize why Butler should have played Game 5, adding:
"I mean...Larry Bird was laying on the ground with a bad back; he can't even walk. I'll give you another one, Isiah (Thomas) with a broken ankle against the Lakers in Games 6 and 7."
Coach Erik Spoelstra praises team for competing without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry
The Miami Heat didn't need Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry in Game 5. They beat the Hawks by committee and didn't feel the absence of their best players.
Through the first four games, Jimmy Butler averaged 30.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game and also led his team in PER. He was second in the league in scoring and is leading the league in steals in the playoffs.
Any team that would lose such a player would certainly feel his absence, but the Miami Heat didn't. Victor Oladipo got his first-ever start in the playoffs, where he dropped a team-high 23 points, while Bam Adebayo contributed 20. Tyler Herro dropped 16 points off the bench, while Max Strus chipped in with 15. However, the Heat's defense stood out, as it successfully contained Trae Young once again.
Coach Erik Spoelstra complimented his men in the postgame press conference, saying:
"No question, this was just a really inspiring team win. Everybody that played had their fingerprints on this (game). We clearly had some adversity in this game, not having Kyle or Jimmy, and our group doesn't even blink."
He added:
"Its not even something we have to address. We just pivot and put in the game plan and everybody just gets ready, tapes their ankles and gets out there and competes."
The Miami Heat have played without their starters in multiple games this season and have battled adversity throughout the year. They have a very deep bench, and the team is prepared for any eventuality. Their role players are probably the most trained to pick up the slack when the starters are performing poorly or are injured.
The Heat will face the winner of the Philadelphia-Toronto series in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
