It should also be pointed out that Paul Pierce, at 33, had achieved considerably more than Jimmy Butler had at this comparative point in their relative NBA careers
Jimmy led his team to the NBA Finals.
Once. And lost a fairly noncompetitive series. He's more or less on the same career path as Dwight Howard - which is fine - but this thread is full of people pretending that Butler's quiet games (like, for example, games 3-5 against us in last year's ECF) don't exist.
I noted this before the playoffs too. Jimmy's bad games always seem to roll off of him for whatever reason, in a way that doesn't happen for other stars.
Bucks fans are shredding Giannis right now, and they want to run Middleton and Holiday out of town. Boston fans are losing their minds over a mediocre series from Tatum. AD gets blasted for his no-shows, Booker last year, and so on. Yet when Butler has a bad game - and he has plenty of them - nobody seems to mind. I'm not sure why that is.
Yeah I remember that we had this conversation - I maintain it's largely because he 'looks like' he's playing hard. Butler's game has major lunch pail aesthetic, and that appeals to the people who enjoy a certain type of visible effort, win or lose.
And I think that's it with this thread as well. The same way that Bucks fans hating Giannis for dropping 38 is weird - yes, he missed 13 free throws, but if he hits those he winds up with a 51 point game... and if the Celtics hit their free throws last game as a team this series would be over - Butler's perennial ability to avoid any responsibility for his team's lack of success is just as peculiar:
With success as the only metric, all things being equal and no fandom to consider, I would rather root for Jayson Tatum's basketball teams than teams featuring Jimmy Butler. Tatum's teams are more successful. They win more games. They usually go further in the playoffs. He's part of a younger core with a brighter future.
TP.
I've said it before, but a lot of posters seem to equate "fire" with acting like the Hulk and it's weird. Not every player is going to showboat and rage out like KG, seems guys are more even-keeled. Doesn't mean he cares any less or is any less passionate. We've seen him have big games in crucial moments, but people act like moments like game 6 in Milwaukee in the 2nd round last year didn't happen. He's been playing with a messed up wrist for basically 2 seasons, but refuses to be load-managed like other stars. He probably should've missed a few games in last year's playoffs when he hurt his shoulder, but played through. That says a lot more to me about a player than if he can rage-scream spittle at a stanchion.
I think it's because fans want to know that players care, so they tend to gravitate more to emotional players, players like KG for example. Everyone knew KG cared. Someone who is more reserved, more like a silent assassin, tend to get more criticism because they don't seem to care as much. The fans care, these players should care too [dang it]!
For the record, I worry less about their demeanor and more about their actual performance and body language. Tatum's body language wasn't great in Game 5, he struggled to get into the game with all the trapping Atlanta did and he settled for some perimeter jumpshots instead of trying to attack the rim which JB was doing or trying to get teammates more involved. But he still had 19-8-8, albeit a not very impressive (by his standards) triple double. Because we've gotten so used to great games from Tatum these mediocre games stand out. He's just held to a higher standard.
I think his body language was great tonight, he was pumped after that putback dunk. He doesn't always show emotion on the court, probably more of a natural introvert, but he did then.
Topic: Tired of tatum not showing up (Read 9358 times)