The Boston Celtics won the opening game of their first-round series against the Miami Heat on Sunday (April 21). Erik Spoelstra was without Jimmy Butler, who is currently dealing with an MCL sprain. Without the All-Star forward, Miami’s chances of progressing into the second round are slim.
According to Shams Charania, who was speaking on a recent episode of FanDuel TV’s ‘Run It Back,’ Butler could miss the entire series against Boston as he faces a month or two of rehabilitation on his knee. That news will be a hammer blow for a Heat team that made the NBA Finals last season.
“He is not gonna be back in this series,” Charania said. “This is a rehab that’s gonna go at least one month. It’s seriously remarkably to me that he played three quarters on this injury.”
Without Butler, the Heat lack the offensive firepower required to put a strain on the Celtics defense. The veteran forward is among the most dominant postseason performers in the NBA. Miami’s offense will be blunted without him in their rotation.
According to Shams, Jimmy Butler will not return for this first-round series against the #Celtics
Shams says Butler could be looking at a month or two of rehab
🎥 @FanDuelTV pic.twitter.com/arLBXR2WG5
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) April 22, 2024
Terry Rozier is also dealing with an injury. As such, there’s a heavy load on Tyler Herro, who was shut down by Jrue Holiday in the opening game of the series.
Without Butler in the rotation, the Celtics have an opportunity to end the series in four or five games and, with that, finally put the threat of the Heat out of their minds as they continue pushing toward a championship.
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