MIAMI — Jimmy Butler walked off the floor when his night's work was complete, lifted his arms in the air and heard a sold-out arena serenade him with screams.
That didn't happen in the bubble two years ago, since nobody was there.
But Butler was every bit as good Tuesday night as he was during that bubble run — and the Miami Heat needed all his heroics.
Butler scored a playoff career-high 45 points, including a personal 7-0 run down the stretch to decide the game, and the Heat held off the Atlanta Hawks 115-105 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Tuesday night.