Jimmy Butler, the most interesting man in the Heat world

MIAMI (AP) —Jimmy Butler is different.

Some playershit beaches over All-Star break;Butler went to Argentinatowatch tennis and learn about coffee. Some players rest with one dayoff between games; Butler spent 10 hours flying round-trip to beatPau Gasol’s Los Angeles Lakersjersey retirementone night and back in Miami forshootaround the next morning. SomeMiami teammates jumpedaround the locker roomto celebrate after eliminatingtop-seeded Milwaukee; Butler simply watched while sipping adrink.

He doesthings his way, which is not a bad thing — and the results proveit. Butler has led Miami to the Eastern Conference semifinals forthe third time in his four seasons with the Heat; this year, amatchup with the New York Knicks awaits, starting Sunday.

“He wants tolive an interesting life,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You’vegot to respect that. But he is very serious about winning.”

Very, veryserious. A championship is what lured Butler to Miami, and it’s allthat matters to him now. A revival of theHeat-Knicksplayoff rivalry that was born a generation ago? He doesn’tcare. Facing his former coach Tom Thibodeau in this series? Hethinks that’s irrelevant. The outside world’s opinions orpredictions? He immediately dismisses them.

Teammateslove him for it, too.

“Jimmy’s justa talented player,” guard Kyle Lowry said. “I think Jimmy goes outthere and, every assignment that the other team gives him, he triesto take that personally. ... I’m rolling with Jimmy at alltimes.”

Added centerBam Adebayo: “I’m just thankful that he’s on my team.”

It would beinaccurate to say that the regular season doesn’t matter to Butler.It would not be inaccurate to say that the postseason matters more.Case in point: He has scored at least 40 points in a game eighttimes since joining the Heat — and all eight of those performancescame in the playoffs, including two in theseriesagainst Milwaukee, the first a 56-point masterpiece in Game 4and the other a 42-point effort in the clinching Game 5.

Social medialit up when Butler was putting on his show in Game 5.

— “Let’s stopfaking on 22. Bro really like dat!” injuredHeat guard VictorOladipowrote, referring to Butler by his jerseynumber.

— “Somebodysaid Jimmy Butler averaged my age!!” wroteGolden State’s AndreIguodala,a former teammate in Miami. (Almost true;Iguodala is 39.)

— “HimmyButler lol,” wrotePortland’s DamianLillard.

Butlerdoesn’t like the notion that he becomes“PlayoffJimmy,” but it’s tough to argue otherwise. He averaged 22.9points per game in the regular season — and averaged 37.6 points inRound 1 against the Bucks, the highest average of anyone so far inthese playoffs.

“My teammateskeep telling me to shoot the ball, shoot the ball more, attack,”Butler said. “That’s just what it was. No matter what, if I’mscoring, if I’m passing, defending, rebounding, whatever it may be,we’ve just got to win at all costs.”

Win at allcosts. That’s his mantra off the court as well.

The worldsees the highlights of Butler pointing at a scoreboard and tellingMilwaukee’s Jrue Holiday what he’s doing to him — that happened inGame 5 of Round 1 — but the world doesn’t see the highlights ofButler tormenting his close-knit inner circle. If they get on thebasketball court with him, that obviously doesn’t work out well forthem. When they play dominoes or card games, good luck. He famouslywouldn’t even give teammates a discount whenhewas selling $20-a-cup coffeeat the NBA’s restart bubblein 2020.

“I’ve got anincredible group that keeps me level-headed, that make my life notalways just about basketball,” Butler said. “And I’ve got anamazing family, too.”

It’s all justJimmy being Jimmy. He fits perfectly within the Heat organization,and Spoelstra figured that out right away.

“He is us andwe are him,” Spoelstra said. “I just respect him so much for beingsuch a unique, world-class, elite competitor. A lot of guys playthe game of basketball in this league. He competes to win. That’s adifferent language. He’s desperate and urgent and maniacal andsometimes psychotic about the will to try to win and he’ll makeeverybody in the building feel it.”

Even when theHeat struggled this season, Butler never publicly changed his tunemuch. He kept insisting the same thing — that Miami has enoughtalent to win, that the Heat would figure out what they weresupposed to do in time to compete for a title.

They wereoverwhelming underdogs in Round 1 and became the first No. 8 seedto advance by losing only one game against the top seed. Now comesRound 2, and the Knicks, and a chance to get back to the Eastfinals for the third time in his Miami tenure.

“We’re a goodgroup of basketball players and we’re having fun whenever we’re outthere,” Butler said. “We’re playing basketball the right way andgood things happen if you do that.”