The Miami Heat decimated the Boston Celtics’ hopes of reaching the 2023 NBA Finals with a dominating performance in Game 7. Despite the Celtics making a massive turnaround by winning 3 games on the trot after going down 3-0, the team couldn’t push it in the series decider. However, the conversation after the game shifted to Jimmy Butler as the NBA world turned salty after a major update. Moreover, the Phoenix Suns legend Charles Barkley further rubbed on the Heat star’s face with his opinion.
The 8-seeded Heat have produced some unreal performances in the postseason, thanks to Butler. The star made clutch plays and a 50-pointer effort to knock out the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Incidentally, the 33-year-old won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy after the overcoming the Celtics.
Charles Barkley further digs into the Jimmy Butler update
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Jimmy Butler created massive waves in the NBA world during the postseason to the extent that fans compared him to Michael Jordan. The 6x NBA All-Star averaged 28.5 points in the postseason games, moreover, he averaged 24.7 points in the EC Finals to lift the Larry Bird trophy. Surprisingly, the Vice City fans seemed disappointed with the MVP call and flooded social media with salty comments.
Following the fans’ wrath, Charles Barkley added fuel to the fire with his statement during the post-game analysis on TNT. While commenting on one of the three-pointers of the Heat star Caleb Martin, he said, “I was shocked… No respect to Jimmy Butler, but this guy [Martin] should have been the MVP.”
However, after the statement, the Inside Guys continued analyzing the game and expressed their expectation of Martin in the coming games.
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Despite the popularity and fandom, Butler received salty treatment from fans after the MVP decision. Martin’s brilliant performances in the Conference Finals weren’t enough to pip his star teammate to the MVP trophy.
Caleb Martin fell just short in the MVP race
In spite of Butler’s overpowering popularity in the postseason, Caleb Martin continued to prove his worth with his performances. The 27-year-old delivered a consistent performance in the Conference Finals against the Celtics with an average of 19.3 points. Even though the average is comparatively lesser than Butler’s, he held an immovable place in fans’ hearts. Notably, Butler clinched the MVP trophy with a 1 vote difference in the media voting, but fans took to social media and questioned the league about Martin not being the MVP.
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What do you make of Jimmy Butler as the recipient of the Eastern Conference Finals MVP? Did he deserve it over Caleb Martin? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.