Getty Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.
The Miami Heat fell short in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, losing in five games, but as the No. 8 seed in the East, the Heat exceeded expectations while giving its fans an entertaining ride along the way.
The Heat took down three of the top four seeds in the conference to make it to the finals, beating the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks, the No. 4 seed New York Knicks and the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics. Led by forward Jimmy Butler, Miami, who had the lowest-scoring offense in the league during the regular season (109.5 points per game), won the play-in tournament and went further than any previous play-in winner.
Still, the Heat couldn’t overcome two-time MVP Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets, who took the series and won their first NBA championship with a 94-89 victory in Game 5.
Despite his incredible efforts throughout the postseason, many fans and analysts alike took to Twitter to take shots at Butler after the loss.
Twitter Reacts to Jimmy Butler, Heat After Finals Loss
Butler finished with 21 points in Game 5, going 5-of-18 on his field goal attempts in game 5, also adding three rebounds, five assists and three steals (stats via Basketball Reference). He scored 13 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, but he also had a critical turnover late in the game and he missed a potential game-tying shot.
Jimmy Buckets averaged 21.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in five games against the Nuggets and he tallied 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists throughout the playoffs, but he didn’t put up huge numbers in Game 5, and Twitter had plenty to say about it.
Playoff Jimmy tonight:
🧱 21 PTS
🧱 5-18 FG
🧱 1 clutch TOV
🧱 Bricked game-tying 3
He’s just Jimmy now, no Buckets 😤🥶🧱
Butler didn’t have a great night shooting in the final game of the series, making 27.8% of his shots from the field, and that was noted also:
Jimmy Butler is 2/12 from the field and there’s only 6 mins left in the game 😳
It was the second time Butler has lost in the finals while with the Heat, (the first time was back in 2020) and some fans chided Butler for that:
Playoff Jimmy Butler 0-2 in NBA Finals
⁃Jimmy Butler 0-2 in the finals
⁃No more “playoff jimmy” tweets
⁃Miami Heat gentlemen swept
⁃Jimmy with the worse finals performance from a star in the last 10 years t.co/bSIKyKHdwf
It’s also possible — although Butler denies this — that the sprained ankle he suffered in Game 1 of the conference semifinals on April 30 limited him in the following games. Butler averaged 37.6 points a game in Round 1 against the Bucks, and he wasn’t nearly as explosive in any subsequent series.
Analyst Will Manso, who covers the Heat, noted that the Heat star’s ankle could be a factor:
That Jimmy turnover in a big spot is a fitting and disappointing end to this series. Butler never looked like himself and the Heat had no chance with him like that.
Twitter can be a disparaging place, but there weren’t only negative responses to Butler’s game. Some focused on the success Miami has had since Butler’s arrival:
🏀 Since Jimmy Butler got to the Miami Heat, they have the most playoff wins in the NBA (38) and are the only team to have made two NBA Finals since.
Discussed all things Finals last night with @RyanMSampson on @NYPostSports 💥
While others noted Butler and starting center Bam Adebayo may need a better supporting cast around them in order to win it all:
Jimmy Butler will be the first to admit his game was subpar, but the Heat are nowhere close without him. He was the leader of an *incredible* run. Him and Bam are close, Miami needs to figure out how to get them over the top
Butler Takes Blame, Credits Teammates After Game 5 Loss
To his credit, Butler owned his mistakes after the Heat’s Game 5 loss. When Butler was asked his thoughts on the game’s final minutes, he gave a candid reply: “That I turned the ball over. That’s what stood out,” Butler said.
He also took the time to shower his teammates with praise. “You never know what the team is going to look like next year, the year after that. I’m just grateful,” he said.
“I learned so much, they taught me so much. I wish I could have done it for these guys because they definitely deserve it. The one thing that I’m going to take from it is how great I am for being able to compete with them,” he added.
Now, with the offseason officially underway, Miami will likely make some significant moves to help Butler and Adebayo. Whatever the Heat decide to do, Twitter will surely have an opinion about it.