Jimmy Butler continues to impress in the NBA Playoffs as he led the Miami Heat to a 2-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The small forward produced an impressive all-round performance as he scored 27 points along with eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
Butler was a constant threat for the Heat and was well supported by his teammates as Bam Adebayo claimed 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, while Caleb Martin dropped 25 points in a 111-105 win. The competitive juices were flowing through the 33-year-old as he left it all out on the floor and even got in the face of one of his opponents.
Heat now head back home for games three and four with the opportunity to complete a historic sweep over the Celtics. In what was another excellent game for Butler, Mirror Sport takes a look at what fans may have missed from the six-time All-Star at the TD Garden last night.
Butler and Williams go nose-to-nose
Midway through the fourth quarter of game two with Celtics leading 96-87, Grant Williams hit a three pointer and had a few words to say with Butler as they went back down the floor. The Heat player responded by making a shot of his own and was fouled by Williams in the act of shooting.
Butler proceeded to get in the face of Williams and the pair engaged in a heated exchange, going nose-to-nose. Following the intense moment, both players were handed a technical foul, before the Heat closed the game on a 24-9 run.
Asked if the exchange motivated him further, Butler said: “Yes, it did. But that's just competition at its finest. He hit a big shot, started talking to me. I like that. I'm all for that. It makes me key in a lot more. It pushes that will that I have to win a lot more. It makes me smile. It does.
"When people talk to me, I'm like, OK, I know I'm a decent player, if you want to talk to me out of everybody that you can talk to. But it's just competition. I do respect him, though. He's a big part of what they try to do. He switches. He can shoot the ball. I just don't know if I'm the best person to talk to."
Butler smirks at Williams
Before the players went head to head, Butler simply smirked at Williams who got in his face after hitting a shot from beyond the arc.
Perhaps the smirk foreshadowed what Butler and the Heat would do next as they went on a 24-9 run to close the game and further show why they are the most clutch team in the NBA Playoffs this year. In his post-match press conference, Williams said he expected this type of performance from Butler whether he added to his motivation or not.
"No matter if I lit him up tonight or not, he is going to do that," Williams said. "For me, it's a matter of understanding, yeah, sure, you did 'poke a bear.' And how are you going to respond? Because for me, he made some tough shots.
“It's a battle. And I am going to keep battling. He's going to have to make every single tough shot the rest of the series.I am not going to turn and look otherwise, because I respect him as a motherf****** player.”
Butler can't wait for Miami
Following another defeat for Boston, they now have to win four of the next five games to advance to the NBA Finals for a second straight year. Last night’s defeat snapped a streak of 16 consecutive games in which a team that lost game one at home had triumphed in game two in the Playoffs.
During an interview immediately after the game, Butler was positively buzzing about going back to Miami for games three and four, which could potentially seal a 4-0 series win.
The reporter ended the interview by saying: “We'll see you in Miami, Jimmy!", to which he replied: "Oh yeeeeeeeah", with a smile on his face before walking back to the locker room.
Butler can't believe it
On his way back to the locker room, the camera panned to Butler who had some more words for Williams and the Celtics. “There's no way! There's no way they thought that was the answer! They should know better!” the confident basketball star said.
Before game one Butler spoke about the belief within Miami ranks and how much love and unity there is around the team. Prior to game one ESPN analytics gave the Heat just a 3% chance to win this series, but Butler is ignoring any outside noise.
“Damn right, I did," he replied when asked by a journalist if he believed the Heat could have a deep playoff run this year. "Damn right, we did. And the best part about it is we still don't care what none of y’all think, honestly speaking. We don’t care if you pick us to win.
"We never have, we never will. We know the group of guys we have in this locker room. We know that coach Spo (Erik Spoelstra) puts so much confidence in every one of us, coach Pat (Riley, team president) as well.
“Our circle is small, but this circle's got so much love for one another. We pump constant confidence into everybody and we go out there and we hoop. We play basketball the right way, knowing that we've always got a chance."
Butler's post-match swipe
In reference to his battle with Williams on court, Butler answered a question from a reporter who asked: “So Jimmy, Grant wasn't the answer, was he?" To which the NBA star simply responded: “Hell no…he wasn’t.”
Butler scored nine of his team-high 27 points following Williams' initial words as he made some clutch plays down the stretch. Post-game Williams defended his choice to fuel Butler with his words and claimed he would never back down from anyone on the floor.
“I think he said something and I just responded," Williams said. "I'm a competitor, and I'm going to battle. He got the best of me tonight, and at the end of the day, it's out of respect, because I'm not going to run away from it. I'm ready to f***** get a win. I'm ready to come back and come into Game 3 with a better mentality, and I know this team is as well.
"So at the end of the day, tonight is tonight. We've got to focus in and let this s--- hurt, but at the end of the day, we've got to come in tomorrow and really focus on what's next."
The perfect night
Butler’s magical night was complete when he was approached by NBA on TNT host Ernie Johnson Jr. The 66-year-old is much loved and respected basketball presenter and the Miami Heat star’s eyes lit up when he realised who had walked up to him.
The pair smiled at one another and shook hands as Johnson seemingly congratulated Butler on his performance. As he walked away the small forward was very excited with his interaction with the sports caster.
With an excited fist pump, Butler exclaimed: “I ran into a legend today, you all saw that, He knows who I am!” Johnson was also sporting a big smile as he heard Butler’s comments. Butler and the Heat will now prepare for tomorrow’s game three in front of their jubilant home fans who will be expecting another victory.
