Can Jimmy Butler Lead The Miami Heat To An NBA Title?

Do the Heat need more alongside Jimmy Butler?

Jimmy Butler carried most of the weight for the Miami Heat in the playoffs, averaging 25 points. 

However, being down 3-2 in the series against the Boston Celtics, some people feel that Butler’s performances just aren't enough to push the Heat through.

Stephen A. Smith expressed his viewpoint this morning on ESPN’s talk show “First Take”.

“When you ask ‘Can a player be the best player on a championship team?’, here’s what I think: ‘Here you go, take us there.’ Are you that dude? You have to be that dude,” Smith said. 

Former NBA player Tracy McGrady shot back at him saying “They’re in the Eastern Conference Finals, wounded. Who got them there? Jimmy Butler. He’s proven that.”

“I had them losing even if they were healthy,” Smith replied. “I get where you’re coming from but that’s coming from a place where you evidently thought they were going to win. I’m of the mindset when I’m thinking about the best player on a championship team, when all else fails, everybody knows what you’re going to do.”

“Here’s the damn ball. Give it to me, I'll do it anyway. There’s nothing you can do about it,” he continued. “That’s KD. That’s LeBron. That’s people like that. Jimmy Butler is a big-time player, he’s not that. He’s big-time. Got mad love for him but there’s levels.”

“I think he doesn’t have to be that though,” McGrady said. “What Miami builds as a culture, they do it by committee, but they will be good enough to win a championship. He will be the best player on that team because of what is surrounded by him. He will be the best player on that team.”

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson