Miami Heat On The Cusp Of Historic NBA Playoffs Upset With Jimmy Butler's 56-Point Game 4 Performance

ParallelDesk 12:24:42 PM, 27 April 2023

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The Miami Heat are just one game away from pulling off one of the greatest upsets in NBA playoffs history after taking a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round matchup against top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat's success has largely been due to their star player, Jimmy Butler, who put on an incredible performance in Game 4 to give his team the crucial win. Butler scored a career-high and franchise playoff record of 56 points in Miami's 119-114 victory against Milwaukee on Monday. He also had nine rebounds and two assists, making 19-of-28 shots from the field, 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 15-of-18 from the free-throw line. Butler's stellar showing had NBA stars like Joel Embiid and Draymond Green in awe, as they watched him lead his team to victory. If the Heat manage to eliminate the Bucks, they will join an elite group of just five eighth-seeded teams to defeat a number one seed in postseason history. So far, the others include the 1994 Denver Nuggets, the 1999 New York Knicks, the 2007 Golden State Warriors, the 2011 Memphis Grizzlies, and the 2012 Philadelphia 76ers. The first team to achieve this feat was the Nuggets, led by Dikembe Mutombo, who upset the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994. However, the series was only a five-game contest as the league had not yet implemented seven-game series in the first round at the time. The Knicks became the second team to take down a number one seed in 1999, beating the top-seeded Miami Heat in five games. Allan Houston was the hero, hitting the game-winning shot in Game 5 to eliminate the Heat. The 2007 Golden State Warriors became one of the most popular teams to knock off a number one seed. They were a group of unlikely players led by Baron Davis and coached by Don Nelson, who managed to beat the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in the first round. The last two number eight seeds to defeat number one seeds were the 2011 Memphis Grizzlies, who outplayed the San Antonio Spurs, and the 2012 Philadelphia 76ers, who capitalized on the absence of Derrick Rose. While only five eighth-seeded teams have managed to defeat a number one seed, only one has gone on to move past the second round. The 1999 New York Knicks managed to shock everyone by making it to the NBA Finals. They beat the Miami Heat in the first round and swept the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. They went on to beat the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference finals but ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. As Butler and the Heat prepare for Game 5 against the Bucks, fans are eager to see if they can achieve this historic upset and add their names to the shortlist of number eight seeds who defeated the odds and came out on top.