Boston Celtics star Grant Williams defended his actions during game two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, despite them spurring Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat on to victory.
The 24-year-old taunted the Miami Heat's Butler after scoring a three pointer in the fourth quarter of last night’s game at the TD Garden. The six-time All-Star responded by making a shot of his own and was fouled by Williams in the process. This prompted Butler to get in the face of Williams and the pair even touched forehands in a heated exchange.
Post game, Williams explained his part in the situation and insisted he would never back down from any challenge or confrontation on court with an explosive response. “Sure, you did 'poke the bear,' and how you're going to respond. [...] He made some tough shots," Williams told NBC Sports Boston. “It's a battle. I'm going to keep battling. He's gonna have to make every single tough shot the rest of the series because I'm not gonna turn and look otherwise. I respect him as a motherf****** player.”
Following the intense moment both players were handed a technical foul, before the Heat closed the game on a 24-9 run. Butler went on to score 27 points along with eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in a 111-105 victory. Williams, who managed just nine points in his 26 minutes played, admitted the better man and team triumphed last night, but is determined to bounce back. “I think he said something and I just responded,” he added.
“I'm a competitor. I'm going to battle. He got the best of me tonight. At the end of the day, it is out of respect because I am not going to run away from it. My mom always taught me, my dad as well, you get you're a** kicked, you don't come back home until you come to battle again.”
Following another defeat for Boston, they now have to claim four of the next five games to advance to the NBA Finals for a second consecutive year. Last night’s result ended a sequence of 16 consecutive games in which the team with a home court advantage had triumphed in game two after losing game one.
After last night's fiery encounter, Butler said his verbal encounter with Williams only provided him with further motivation to lead his side to victory, and that’s exactly what happened.
“That's just competition at its finest,” he said. “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." Game three will emanate from Miami's FTX Arena on Sunday night with the Heat looking to take a 3-0 series lead.
