Game 2 Again Showed Why Sixers Adding Jimmy Butler Was So Important
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- When Elton Brand made the moves to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Tobias Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers, he made it clear that he believed the team's window for winning a championship is right now. At times, the fit for Butler has looked awkward, with fans wondering if the team would be better off not having made the trade. Following a messy, defense-first 94-89 win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 2, it's easy to see why Brand chose to bring him in.
On a night when Joel Embiid continued to struggle on the offensive end, Butler stepped into the alpha-dog role, consistently attacking the defense and putting together a 30-point, 11-rebound and five-assist performance. It wasn't an efficient shooting night by any means, hitting just nine of his 22 attempts while going 4-for-10 from three. But, it was another example of Butler's big shot making ability late in games, an attribute the team so desperately missed in bowing out of last year's playoffs against the Celtics.
Butler scored or assisted on 18 of the team's 25 points in the fourth quarter, including knocking down a massive three with 2:14 left after the Raptors had just cut the lead to four.
That shot, while not as dramatic as some of the buzzer-beating threes he has hit in a Sixers uniform, was just as important. Following an 11-2 run from the Raptors, the tide of the game seemed to be shifting in Toronto's favor. After that shot, it became clear the Sixers would hang on.
In his post-game press conference, head coach Brett Brown called Butler the "adult in the gym," praising him for willing the team to hang on through the Raptors' various onslaughts in the second half. Butler, for his part, credited the defense which held Toronto to just 36 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from three.
The defense deserves it's share of the credit for last night's game, with Embiid harassing Pascal Siakam into hurried shots early and Ben Simmons making life difficult for Kawhi Leonard offensively. But, Butler's knack for making a big play late in the game is what put the team over the top in a way that must have made Brand smile.
Embiid has struggled in his career against Marc Gasol and he's further hampered in this series by the knee tendinitis that has limited him in the second half of this season. Normally, their franchise center being off his game would mean doom against an opponent like the Raptors. With Butler in the fold, there's another option to lean on for big plays in the biggest moments. Does it mean they'll win the series? Not necessarily. Have the kinks been worked out with regards to fit going forward? No.
But, it puts them in a much better position than they were a year ago.
