For me, this is up there with my favorite conspiracy theories. If you have never heard this before, here is everything you need to know.

We all know Jimmy Butler is a fierce competitor, and the dude just shines when the spotlight is on him. Does this remind you of anyone?

Butler is famously known for his competitiveness, especially during his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves when he took a bunch of bench players and beat the Timberwolves’ starting 5.🤣 Challenging both his teammates and the Timberwolves’ ownership, Butler dominated the scrimmage by only shooting the ball once.

After the scrimmage, he reportedly left the gym while making comments directed at then-general manager Scott Layden. Butler expressed to Layden that he needed him, stating, "You can't win without me."

Once again, does this competitiveness remind you of someone? To me, it's perhaps the second-most iconic practice story, following the time Michael Jordan punched Steve Kerr in the face.

Now, this is where it gets interesting.

Butler was raised by his birth mother until the age of 13. He claims that his mother kicked him out because she didn't like the way he looked. 🤔 Butler stayed at various friends' houses until one of the mothers took him in.

There have been rumors that Jordan had a child with another woman while still married, and in order to preserve his marriage and existing family, ended the relationship with the woman and made financial arrangements for the next 13 years.

Butler’s mother now claims the reason she kicked him out was because “the payments stopped coming in.” Again, Butler was kicked out at the age of 13. 🤔

Can MJ be Butler’s dad or is this just a crazy coincidence? Both MJ and Butler have eerily similar physical attributes and, most notably, have very competitive and clutch personalities.

And now they both hold two of the most iconic playoff performances of all time. Even if this information is not true, I am rolling with Butler in tonight’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The fact that this speculation even exists demonstrates how extraordinary he is.

Plus, in last year’s Game 1 performance against the Celtics, he put up 41 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

Embrace the spirit of “Be like Mike” (or his son Butler) and hammer this bet with me tonight. 👇

@thegameday

Is Jimmy Butler MJ’s son?!🤔🐐 @justinbobbyx13 #thegameday #heatfans #miamiheat #boston #celticsfans #nbaplayoffs

Celtics vs Heat Predictions & Best Bets

One year after Jayson Tatum led the Boston Celtics to a Game 7 victory over the Miami Heat, the two sides are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for another go at each other — and a highly-coveted shot at the NBA title.

To Win Series: Celtics (-525) • Heat (+400)

Somewhat surprisingly, sportsbooks aren’t giving the Heat much of a chance to win this series. Make no mistake — Boston is clearly the better team here — but Miami has already knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks en route to this series.

Moreover, the Heat have one of the top postseason performers on their roster in Jimmy Butler, who averaged more than 25 points per game against the Celtics when they met in last year’s playoffs.

Heat +2.5 Games (-130) • DraftKings Sportsbook

If you believe the Heat will win more than one game in this series, this is the bet to place. These are relatively favorable odds at (-130), and the alternative of betting Celtics -1.5 (-195) requires a lot more juice.

Let’s look at it this way, though. Boston defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games and the Philadelphia 76ers in seven. For this bet to lose, Miami would need to go out in five or fewer games.

If the Hawks can take two from the Celtics, Butler and the Heat surely can. I’m taking Miami +2.5 games without a second thought.

Game 1 Predictions

Boston is coming off of a long, hard-fought series into Game 1, and will be playing with two full days of rest compared to Miami’s four. That advantage is an important factor to keep in mind here, and it’s one of the main reasons why the Heat should keep this one within range throughout.

I like the Celtics to come out on top given that they have the superior roster and best player in the series in Tatum, but if the Heat are going to steal a game on the road, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it’s this one. Win or lose, Erik Spoelstra will have his team prepared.

Heat +8 (-110) • DraftKings Sportsbook

This is already projected to be a low-scoring game, and with the Heat having a significant rest advantage here, they should come into Boston and make things interesting in Game 1.

Whether it results in a win or not, I’m expecting Miami to set the tone early and refuse to go down without a fight. This is simply too large a spread.

Read more from Garrett Chorpenning’s Celtics vs Heat Predictions & Best Bets.