The Heat dominated the Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday night, winning 128–102.
The win was punctuated by Miami star forward Jimmy Butler—who recorded 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists—when he mocked the celebration of Boston center Al Horford early in the third quarter.
For background, in Game 1, Horford hit a three-pointer and celebrated by subsequently taking a knee and making the timeout signal with his hands—implying the Heat needed a timeout to stem the Celtics’ momentum.
So, after Heat’s Gabe Vincent hit a three-pointer to put Miami ahead by 23 points Sunday night, Butler moonwalked back to midcourt, took a knee and mimicked the timeout hand signal Horford had used.
Needless to say, Butler didn’t forget.
JIMMY BUTLER AND THE MIAMI HEAT DON'T FORGET, AL HORFORD. TIME-OUT!!!! pic.twitter.com/5anOBCsbSN
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) May 22, 2023
Jimmy Butler imitated Al Horford's timeout celly from Game 1 😅 pic.twitter.com/XTKy5aHgXL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 22, 2023
The Heat can clinch a trip to the NBA Finals on Tuesday night in Game 4. Tip-off against the Celtics is at 8:30 p.m. ET.
In 13 games this postseason, Butler leads the Heat with averages of 29.9 points, 5.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game.