The Miami Heat take on the Indiana Pacers in one of the hottest rivalries that the first round has to offer. This rivalry owes its intensity to two men, Jimmy Butler and T. J. Warren.
Warren and Butler got into a scuffle in their matchup in January this year, when the Heat comfortably beat the Pacers. Butler did a solid job in guarding Warren and held him to just 8 points.
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The Heat have bested the Pacers thrice, while the Pacers barely have one win to their name. That game came last Friday, with both teams resting most of their starters ahead of their Playoff series.
A Former NBA MVP and analyst on Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley, has spoken about the Butler and Warren rivalry, advising Butler to keep his emotions in check.
“Jimmy’s (Butler) is going to have to control his emotions. He’s the best player on that team and the leader of that team, but if he is going to spend all his energy going at TJ Warren, that’s not going to work.”
Barkeley added, “When you are the best player, you cannot get into foul trouble and you cannot get sidetracked.”
Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers: Who has the advantage?
While the Pacers enter the series as an unlikely fourth seed, the Heat are the favorites to win this series. However, the Pacers have found something in the bubble that they did not have in the regular season.
That is the ascension of T. J. Warren from a role-player to a scoring machine. Warren has averaged 31 points in the bubble, shooting over 57.8% from the field. This includes a whopping 52.4% from three-point range.
Butler has never been an offensive juggernaut, taking pride in being a solid all-around player. Butler is an especially good defender and has displayed that throughout this season.
Butler has suffered at the hands of nagging injuries in the bubble, having played only four games for the Heat. However, he did suit up against the Pacers in their first matchup in the bubble. He had a +/- of +17 in that game, scoring 19 points and making a concerted defensive effort as well.
Both Butler and Warren missed the game against each other last Friday, meaning they are ready for an intense battle which may go seven games.
Warren is yet to get the better of Butler, but Butler needs to stay composed in a bid to hold the hot-shooting Warren off for a minimum of four games and a maximum of seven.
