Days after suffering an eye contusion, Miami Heat‘s Jimmy Butler sat out during the Heat’s final two games of the regular season due to back pain, an unsettling development since the five-time All-Star is such a key part of the team’s success.
Without Butler, it’s hard to imagine Miami having a fighting chance of getting past Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, for anyone worried that Butler wouldn’t be in shape going into Saturday’s game, Miami Heat’s official Twitter account put those concerns to bed.
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On Thursday, Miami Heat tweeted a photo of Butler where he looks freakishly jacked. In the black-and-white photo, every single vein in his arms is bulging out, and the 31-year-old NBA star looks to be in the best shape of his whole life.
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One man tweeted, “I ant ever seen this mf so jacked wtf,” while another Heat fan wrote, “HOLY F*** THIS MAN IS RIPPED.” One person tweeted that he basically turned into The Hulk for the playoffs.
Butler’s physique was so impressive that numerous fans commented about how this photo might be turning them gay. “I’m not gay but damn this mf fine af,” one man tweeted.
Another person questioned if Butler was using steroids, or if the picture was photoshopped. But most fans were pumped to see Butler in such elite form.
“If we stay healthy we will whoop em,” one man tweeted, while another person commented, “Heat in 4 game the league in trouble.”
Butler Spoke Out About His Preparedness for the Playoffs
Butler spoke out on Thursday about recovering from his back injury. He said, “I’m good. I’m ready to go. I’m in shape.” Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman tweeted on Thursday.
Naturally, Butler remains confident in his ability to deliver for the Heat during their postseason run. “I think I’m stupidly locked in,” he said, Winderman tweeted.
Save for Victor Oladipo, who underwent season-ending surgery on his quadriceps tendon last week, Miami’s roster is finally ready to go full speed ahead. During practice on May 19, Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra said, “Everybody was able to work today and we haven’t had a day like that in a while.”
The Heat vs. Bucks Series Is Predicted to Go a Full 7 Games
GettyJrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on May 15, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While it’s exciting that the Heat secured a No. 6 seed in the playoffs, successfully avoiding the dreaded stress of the play-in tournament, playing a full seven-game series against a division rival will not be a cakewalk.
Former Heat legend Chris Bosh said during his Get Up interview on May 18 to expect a fiercely competitive series between the Heat and the Bucks. “Look for every game to come down to the last possession.”
“I will say look for this series to go seven games,” Bosh said. “It’s going to be extremely competitive. The Heat definitely have a lot of confidence coming into this series, especially with the success they’ve had against the Bucks last year, and this year, too.”
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