The top-seed Milwaukee Bucks were embarrassed in the NBA Playoffs by the eighth seed Miami Heat. While the Heat are one win away from a berth in the Finals, the loss still stings and the repercussions of it are still felt within the organization. However, as the weeks have passed, fans and players have been able to sit back, reflect, and marvel at the brilliance of Heat star Jimmy Butler, who has dominated these Playoffs. With Miami so close to taking down the Boston Celtics, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday got really honest about his and Milwaukee’s failure to guard Butler during their series.
Milwaukee Bucks Guard Jrue Holiday Opens Up About Guarding Miami Heat Star Jimmy Butler
Holiday appeared on the show “Sideline Show with Ros” earlier today, and was asked about guarding Butler during his matchup with him earlier in the Playoffs. Holiday responded:
“How I look back on it now is that it was fun. I play the game to go up against the best players. I played defense to play against the best players, no matter what position or however it may be.
“While I was in it, I was hot. I was getting my a– busted. And then [Jimmy] started talking sh–, and I think was the last game or something like that. And it’s like, yeah, that’s what competitors do, and Jimmy is the ultimate, I mean, Jimmy is the ultimate competitor. But you hate losing. I hate losing.”
Holiday was then asked if he would have done anything differently when tasked to defend Butler. He responded:
“I made the decision that I made in that moment or in those moments, and I stuck with them, and I stuck to my guns. And a lot of the plays Jimmy made, there was nothing that I could do. There’s nothing that anybody could do. It didn’t matter if it was Brook on him, if it was LeBron James or Michael Jordan on him. It didn’t matter who was on him. Jimmy was playing at a different level.”
It is certainly true that neither Holiday nor any of the Bucks players could find an answer for Butler during the series. For some reason, Giannis Antetokounmpo did not spend much time guarding him, a decision that the two-time MVP attributed to head coach Mike Budenholzer who was fired after the series.
Regardless of who was to blame, if anyone was to blame, there is no denying that Butler is on some kind of great run in these Playoffs. It’s unfortunate that the Bucks lost, but so has everyone else so far.
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