Heat's Jimmy Butler Named 2023 Eastern Conference Finals MVP

Playoff Jimmy is now MVP Jimmy.

Following the Miami Heat's win over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on Monday night, Butler was named the series MVP and earned himself the Larry Bird Trophy.

It was an up-and-down series from Butler as the Heat nearly blew a 3-0 series lead. But he came up huge in the closeout game on the road as he dropped a game-high 28 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

He has now led Miami to its second Finals appearance since he arrived to the organization in 2019.

Caleb Martin had three 20-point games against Boston, including a massive 26-point, 10-rebound performance in Game 7, and he carried the offensive load for Miami early on as the rest of the team struggled a bit to get going.

Butler and the Heat now continue one of the most incredible and improbable postseason runs in recent memory. They become just the second eighth seed to ever make it to the NBA Finals.

The 2023 All-NBA second-team selection has been the catalyst for Miami throughout the entire run and came up big throughout this series despite suffering an ankle injury in the second round against the New York Knicks.

After a phenomenal first three games where his finger prints were all over the place, Butler struggled mightily in Miami's three straight losses to Boston, looking uncharacteristically bad in Saturday's Game 6.

He went 5-of-21 in the heartbreaking defeat, which the Heat lost at the buzzer on a Derrick White putback.

So, that makes his and Miami's response in Game 7 even more impressive.

Now Butler, still looking for his first title, will take on the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals beginning June 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.