On April 18, Beijing time, the 76ers narrowly defeated the Heat 105-104 to enter the playoffs, and will face the Knicks in the second place in the East in the first round. The Heat still held a 12-point lead in the first half, but Butler's injury gave the 76ers a chance to chase points, and in the second half, the 76ers scored 66 points in two quarters to complete the comeback, and only won by 1 point.
Butler suffered a knee injury in the first quarter, but did not get off the court, and continued to play for a full 40 minutes, and in the last four minutes of the game, Butler did not have any presence on the court, did not shoot, and the Heat eventually lost. Butler got 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals on 5-of-18 shooting, the data looks good, but in fact, Butler can choose to rest, although he is the leader of the team, but continue to stay on the court, it is equivalent to 4 to 5, the 76ers' performance is actually not very good, but they still locked up the playoff spot, Embiid got 23 points and 15 rebounds in 6 of 17, and the efficiency is very low.
Butler also admitted that he did more damage to the team than it helped, "I couldn't do anything on both ends of the floor today, and in fact, I continued to stay on the court today and hurt the team more than I helped." Butler dares to take responsibility, and for that alone he deserves respect and never makes excuses, no wonder he is respected by so many people, and although Butler is not a superstar, he is one of the toughest players in the hearts of the fans.
The Heat have one more play-in game, and if they win, they will play the Celtics in 8th place in the East against the Celtics, who are 1st in the East, and if they lose, they will be eliminated directly. While Butler's injury has decided the fate of the Heat, NBA Hall of Famer Shams has brought the latest news that Butler is likely to suffer a ligament injury and will be out indefinitely.
In that case, the Heat's playoff hopes are really dashed, and it will be difficult for the Heat to win in the play-in tournament without Butler. In the other game, the Bulls defeated the Hawks 131-116 and will battle the Heat for the final playoff spot. DeRozan had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, White slashed 42 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, Vucevic had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Dosum had 19 points. The Bulls are an underrated team, and if this form continues, and Butler is likely to be absent, it can be said that the Heat have no chance.
The Heat had a chance of competing for eighth place in the West, but Butler's hopes of a playoff spot were slim after suffering a medial collateral ligament injury in his knee. In this case, the Green Army's hopes of breaking through from the East are greatly increased, and if the Bulls finish 8th, it will not pose a threat at all, and teams such as the Bucks and 76ers are far less powerful than in previous years. The team that the Green Army fears the most is the Heat, who last year's playoffs, the Heat eliminated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals after three consecutive rounds of defeat, and lost to the Nuggets after reaching the Finals. Butler's injury will definitely take some time to recover, and the Heat's season is almost over, while the Celtics have a chance to win a championship, and as long as the core players stay healthy, it may only be a matter of time before they reach the Finals.