Phil Jackson was trending over the weekend for admitting that he hasn’t watched professional basketball since the NBA bubble in Orlando because he feels the league is too political. He faced backlash for his comments, and sports analysts like ESPN’s Jalen Rose said that his comments were nothing new if you take a look at his past.
Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless took a shot at Jackson during Jimmy Butler’s 56-point playoff performance against the Bucks Monday night to lead them to a 119-114 win and a 3-1 series lead. Bayless has had his time on social media where he faced a wave of criticism and knows what the other side feels like. So of course he took the opportunity to finally deliver criticism rather than receive it.
It Was Spiritual
The Heat struggled to make the playoffs but somehow managed to grab the eighth and final playoff spot with a 44-38 record. The Bucks had the best record in the league this season and were the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Many people had them easily winning their first-round series against the Heat, but injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo have shifted things. Bayless and many others have joined the Heat bandwagon.
The official Twitter page of Bleacher Report tweeted out an old Kevin Durant tweet that he used to describe what it’s like to have it going offensively during an NBA game.
If the Heat completes the upset, they would join the 1993-94 Denver Nuggets as the only eighth-seed team in NBA history to upset a No. 1 seed.
Greatest Playoff Performance Ever?
While Bayless was taking shots at Jackson, Charles Barkley was heaping praise over Butler’s performance.
“The best performance I’ve ever seen in the playoffs was the night LeBron scored 29 (points) out of 30 at Detroit. We were at that game. 25 straight and 29 out of 30. That was the best game I’ve seen in the playoffs personally, until tonight,” said Barkley on “Inside The NBA.” “That was the best performance I’ve seen since I’ve been on television. Uh, it was flat-out incredible. It was an honor and privilege to watch out. Man, that guy was not gon’ let them lose tonight.”
Butler has had his fair share of great playoff moments, but there are plenty of other moments that might be a little more memorable.
In 1995, Reggie Miller scored eight points in nine seconds to give the Pacers a Game 1 win in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In 1998, Michael Jordan scored 45 of the Bulls’ 87 total points to give them a series-clinching win in game six over the Jazz. It also secured the Bulls their sixth NBA championship in eight seasons.
Lebron James scored 29 of the last 30 points in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals to give the Cavaliers a win in Game 7. It helped James secure his first trip to the NBA Finals as well.
In 1980, Magic Johnson stepped up in his rookie season to ink his name in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went down with an ankle injury and couldn’t go against the 76ers in game six of the 1980 NBA Finals. Johnson scored 42 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to start the team’s historic run through the 1980s.
There are plenty of great performances in the NBA playoffs and Butler has inked his name in the history books with his 56-point performance. It does take a backseat because the Heat hasn’t won the series or finished the 2023 playoff run. So, only time will tell to see how we will view Butler’s performance when we look back on it.
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