One of the biggest storylines in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals is the battle of the two superstar forwards – Jimmy Buter for Miami and Jayson Tatum for Boston. Monday night, Round 1 of that bout went to Butler and Miami.

In Game 1 of the series in Boston, Butler turned in the kind of performance that’s earned him the nickname ‘Playoff Jimmy.’ The 33-year-old finished the game with a game-high 35 points while shooting 12-of-25 from the floor, 2-of-4 from deep, and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Butler also added seven assists and five rebounds in the Heat’s 12-116 Game 1 win.

• It’s not just that Butler played well, but he elevated his game when his team needed it the most. The Heat were down nine at halftime, but flipped the game with a 46-25 third quarter.

  Butler was at the center of that game-changing run for Miami. He scored 12 points in 12 minutes in the frame, shooting 3-of-5 from the floor while adding three rebounds and three assists. In the second half overall, he shot 6-of-13 while putting up 20 points.

  Keep scrolling for highlights of Jimmy Butler against the Celtics in Game 1…

• Jimmy's first ECF bucket!
  
  MIA/BOS Game 1 underway on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/WReBI62yI3

  — NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023

• Jimmy Butler gets to his spot ✅
  
  5 minutes to go in Q1 on TNT! pic.twitter.com/ofUBwLrPkP

  — NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023

• Jimmy for THREE 🎯
  
  He's got 27 PTS as the Heat lead, 1 minute to go in Q3 on TNT.#NBAConferenceFinals presented by @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/PYGlLe6mIU

  — NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023

• Jimmy Buckets.
  29 PTS.
  
  Heat lead by 9... 6 minutes to go in Game 1 on TNT! pic.twitter.com/FoliFBZ4e6

  — NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023

• JIMMY BUTLER FOR 31!
  
  Get to TNT for the final 4:50 🍿
  
  MIA: 114
  BOS: 109 pic.twitter.com/daekeR4T18

  — NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023

• PLAYOFF JIMMY IN #PLAYOFFMODE
  
  HEAT LEAD BY 6, 27.7 SECONDS TO GO pic.twitter.com/KEWF32XyQG

  — NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023

• JIMMY BUTLER 🔥
  
  35 PTS
  7 AST
  6 STL (Playoff career high)
  W#PLAYOFFMODE pic.twitter.com/GQruDGzRwA

  — NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023

• Jimmy Butler leads the #8 seed @MiamiHEAT to a road win in Game 1 of the ECF!
  
  35 PTS
  7 AST
  6 STL (Playoff career high)
  
  📅 Game 2: Friday, 8:30 PM ET on TNT pic.twitter.com/GXX7eHrOxy

  — NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2023

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].

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