Erik Spoelstra References Tom Thibodeau When Speaking On Jimmy Butler’s Game 6 Performance

Like the rest of us, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was blown away by Jimmy Butler’s performance to keep the Heat alive on Friday night.

In Game 6 in Boston, few gave the Heat a chance to force a Game 7, but backed by a 47 point performance by Butler, Miami was able to stave off elimination.

After the game, Erik Spoelstra referenced Jimmy Butler’s Chicago Bulls days when talking about how many minutes he had to play for the Heat to secure the win.

“I didn’t see how many minutes he played. Probably close to the Chicago Bulls kind of minutes,” Spelstra said.

Spoelstra on Jimmy’s minutes: “I didn’t see how many minutes he played. Probably close to the Chicago Bulls kind of minutes.”

Somewhere Thibs beams.

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) May 28, 2022

When Tom Thibodeau coached Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose with he Bulls, he was heavily criticized for how many minutes he played the two stars, which likely led to his demise as the head coach.

In total, Butler logged an incredible 46 minutes for the Heat, who were clearly in desperation mode Friday night.

Even as crazy as Tom Thibodeau was with the Bulls, I’m not sure he even had Jimmy Butler playing those kind of minutes  at the height of the Bulls’ run in the early 2010s.

Either way, Spoelstra probably knows he’ll need a similar type of performance for Butler in Game 7 tomorrow night.

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