The Miami Heat shocked the NBA world Wednesday night, defeating the one-seed Milwaukee Bucks in five games to advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
They did so behind 42-points from star forward Jimmy Butler, who forced the game into overtime on an incredible basket as the Heat staged a fourth-quarter comeback.
Jimmy Butler, #22 of the Miami Heat, and Jrue Holiday, #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks, exchange words during the second half of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Fiserv Forum on April 26, 2023 in Milwaukee. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Their leader provided a little fire from the bench.
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Udonis Haslem, playing in his 20th NBA season, was assessed a technical foul during the second quarter after getting into the face of Bucks forward Bobby Portis during a stoppage in play.
Portis was not penalized for the altercation.
While Haslem has not played much of an on-court role over the past few seasons, the 42-year-old is a veteran leader in a locker room that is now preparing to face the New York Knicks in the second round.
Udonis Haslem, #40 of the Miami Heat, celebrates from the bench against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2023 Play-In Tournament on April 11, 2023 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
Haslem has announced he intends to retire after the 2022-23 NBA season.
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The eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, Miami needed to beat the Chicago Bulls in the NBA’s play-in tournament to face the Bucks in the first round.
Miami stunned Milwaukee – one of the favorites to win the 2023 NBA title – getting two epic performances from Butler along the way.
Butler scored a playoff franchise-record 56 points in Game 4 and willed Miami to victory on Wednesday as the Heat became just the sixth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed.
Udonis Haslem, #40 of the Miami Heat, during the national anthem at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2023 in Miami. (Bryan Cereijo/Getty Images)
Down two with 2.1 seconds left, Butler converted a layup on an out-of-bounds pass from Gabe Vincent to force overtime.
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“He’s desperate and urgent and maniacal and sometimes psychotic about the will to try to win,” Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler. “He’ll make everybody in the building feel it. That’s why he is us and we are him. That’s the way we operate as well.”
Miami will face the Knicks in Game 1 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.