Butler Continues to Help Chicago Bulls Grind Their Way to the Next Round

MILWAUKEE, WI.  As the Chicago Bulls take a 2-0 series lead up the I-94 to the Bradley Center, or in many ways, their home away from home, due to the large number of Chicago Bulls fans usually making the trip to Milwaukee to see their beloved Bulls, fans can not help but look forward to the next round of the playoffs, and a probable date with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jimmy Butler has been the best Chicago Bulls player this season and this playoff series.

It's true that the Chicago Bulls are still two wins away from advancing to the second round, but with the ugly victory over the Bucks in Game 2, the Chicago Bulls displayed one of their greatest advantages over several previous incarnations of the Chicago Bulls playoff teams... the depth of the team, and the emergence of Jimmy Butler, the likely Most Improved Player of the Year.

It has only been a few years since Jimmy Butler, as a second-year player starting in his first NBA Playoffs, held his own going toe-to-toe with Lebron James in the 2013 NBA Playoffs. In his first playoff match-up against Lebron James, Butler looked and played undaunted, tallying 21 points and 14 rebounds while playing all 48 minutes of the game. The Bulls shocked the NBA world with the upset win, but undermanned, the Chicago Bulls would go on to lose the series to the eventual NBA Champions.

Since that series, Jimmy Butler has been tabbed as the starting shooting guard for the Chicago Bulls, and after an inconsistent first season in the role, "Jimmy Buckets" has been one of the cornerstones of the Chicago Bulls this season, along with newly acquired double-double machine, Pau Gasol.

Butler made his arrival "official" with his selection to the 2015 NBA All-Star Game along with fellow Chicago Bull, Pau Gasol.

So far in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, Jimmy Butler has been the best Chicago Bulls player, and his play down the stretch of the 4th quarter of Game 2 earned the Chicago Bulls the win when it seemed that the Bucks might hang in there long enough to steal a game in Chicago.

Butler's emergence makes it impossible for a long-time Chicago Bulls fan to not dream about the Bulls' next playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Until then, the 2015 Chicago Bulls look to go up to Milwaukee to take a game or possibly close-out the series before returning to Chicago after Game 4. The Bulls play Game 3 tonight, 7PM CT on NBA-TV or watch it live here.

Our Chicago Bulls Number One Question of the Game: Will the Chicago Bulls sweep the series? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments below!