As the cliche goes, the playoffs are where legends are made.
In the case of the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler, he has built a solid portfolio of playoff moments over the years - namely two NBA Finals appearances when least expected, in the 2020 bubble and just last season in 2023.
In the case of the New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson, he had finally, on a national stage, silenced any and all critics with a 40/11/5 performance on 63 percent shooting on Tuesday night in the Pelicans’ 110-106, 7/8 play-in matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Williamson scored on an driving floater with just over three minutes remaining before landing awkwardly, having to take himself out.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Williamson will be re-evaluated in two weeks with a hamstring injury, not the same hamstring that kept him out for the last four months of last season, a 26.0/7.0/4.6 campaign that was cut short.
Late Wednesday night, it was announced that Butler, who was seen walking but carrying a noticeable limp after Wednesday’s 105-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the East’s 7/8 play-in matchup. Early in the game, Butler pump-faked Kelly Oubre, who elevated and awkwardly grazed Butler’s knee, causing the 34-year-old to clutch his knee and briefly writhe in pain on the floor. Butler finished the game with 19 points, five assists, and four rebounds but made just five of 18 shots. Thursday morning, appearing on Sirius XM NBA Radio’s The Starting Lineup, Butler’s agent Bernie Lee refuted reports that his client would miss the game. The Heat will play the Chicago Bulls on Friday evening with a chance at the eight seed and a date with the Boston Celtics in the first round. The initial reported prognosis for Butler was multiple weeks, but the way that it sounds now, he possibly could give it a go on Friday. The Pelicans will face the Sacramento Kings on Friday for the right to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in round one.
Both teams not being at full strength without their best players (or best players playing through injury in Butler’s case if he decides to play) puts pressure on the others to perform. The Heat still should be favored against the Bulls, but Tyler Herro, who did score 25 points on Wednesday but did so on just nine makes out of 27 attempts, will need to be more efficient. Bam Adebayo will see his shots increase (he was 5-for-9 with 10 points and 12 rebounds). Kevin Love, who performed well on Wednesday, will likely see an increase in minutes. Terry Rozier, who missed the last four regular games with a neck issue, did not play on Wednesday night and is day-to-day. With the Heat, he has averaged 16.4 points on 42 percent shooting.
The Pelicans defeated the Kings in all five matchups in the regular season, including a 133-100 drubbing on Jan. 7 without the services of Williamson. CJ McCollum scored 30 points on 11-for-16 in that game while hitting seven times from beyond the arc. They will need bounce back performances from both McCollum (4-for-15 on Tuesday) and Brandon Ingram (4-for-12 on Tuesday) if they are to advance.
Not only are the injuries terrible circumstances at the most critical part of the season for both teams, but they overshadow and impact the best time of the year in the NBA. The playoffs is about stars showing out, seeing who can lead their team the furthest, perform the best, and separate themselves from other greats on the biggest stage. Maybe even cementing their place in NBA history.
Unfortunately, we may not get to see that from Butler or Williamson, two star players and faces of their respective teams who figured to have an impact in April and May and maybe June (in the Heat’s case more so).
While it is devastating to not have all the stars out at playoff time, the beauty of something like the Play-In Tournament, and the playoffs in general, is getting to see players who may not get the national spotlight during the season outperform and put themselves on the national radar. The Bulls’ Coby White, in his team’s 131-116 victory over the 10th seeded Atlanta Hawks did just that, scoring a career-high 42 points on a blistering 15-for-21. He will be a big point of emphasis for the league’s third-best defense on Friday. The Bulls will be without standout defender Alex Caruso, who severely sprained his ankle in Wednesday’s game.
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