Few would describe Heat forward Jimmy Butler—once characterized by Miami coach Erik Spoelstra as having a “Hall of Fame work ethic”—as relaxed.
However, Butler was surprisingly unbothered after the Heat lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals 116–99 to the Celtics on Wednesday evening. To wit, he unveiled a memorable quote when asked how Miami planned to rebound from a loss that denied it a chance to clinch a conference title at home.
“We’re gonna listen to some music. We’re gonna drink some beers back there. Gonna have some wine,” Butler said. “I don’t think that you can just focus on basketball all the time. You have to be able to get away from the game a bit.”
The Heat, who stunned the basketball world by taking a 3–0 lead against Boston, were extinguished in the third quarter Wednesday when the Celtics outscored them 38–23.
“We’re gonna listen to some music. We’re gonna drink some beers. … We’re gonna smile, we’re gonna be in this thing together. … And we’re gonna go get one on the road.”
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 24, 2023
-Jimmy Butler on bouncing back after a loss pic.twitter.com/vbgiuPu0Mv
"We’re gonna smile, we’re gonna be in this thing together like we always are, and we’re gonna go get one on the road," Butler said.
Miami will take its second crack at becoming the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals Thursday evening in Boston.
