Philadelphia 76ers: 3 takeaways from important win over Boston Celtics
2. Jimmy Butler: Closer
Jimmy Butler had seven points on 2-9 shooting in the first three quarters. There were numerous tweets questioning his effort — will Jimmy ever show up, they pondered. He. Showed. Up.
After a quite start, Jimmy G. Buckets (G stands for Gets) was unleashed in the final frame, dropping an efficient 15 points and icing the game with a tough mid-range jumper at the 4.7-second mark.
https://twitter.com/sixers/status/1108544762506821632
Butler hit multiple clutch threes prior to putting the Celtics on ice. It was a mesmerizing performance for one of Philadelphia’s most controversial athletes. He unquestionably earned a few more fans after last night.
The Sixers’ primary weakness against Boston last season — and early this season, for that matter — was the lack of a go-to option down the stretch. Butler gives them that, and it was on full display in arguably the Sixers’ most important win of the season.
On paper, few athletes fit Philadelphia better than Jimmy. He’s a hard-nosed, two-way player who comes up clutch and preaches intensity. He fits Philly, and with more games like this, perhaps he’d choose to embrace it long term.
Also, a top-notch quote:
Jimmy Butler says he was tired early tonight after playing last night, and that he asked Joel to just get them to the fourth quarter and he would take it from there. Mission accomplished.
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) March 21, 2019