BOSTON — Jimmy Butler is known for being a cold-blooded killer when the game is on the line.
And despite the fact the Boston Celtics have seen that firsthand during their previous postseason bouts with Butler’s Miami Heat, Grant Williams opted to overlook the past in hopes of making a difference in the present. It didn’t work.
After the Heat earned a 111-105 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, Celtics fans might actually view it as a disaster.
Williams started chopping it up with Butler after hitting a 3-pointer to give Boston a 96-87 lead with 6:37 left. It took Butler all of one trip down the floor to respond, finishing on a traditional three-point play as he finished through the contact of Williams. The two then went head-to-head before being separated by officials.
Butler spoke about it after scoring a team-high 27 points to lift the Heat to a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven.
“Yes, it did (fuel me),” Butler said. “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 and it pushes that will I have to win a lot more. And it makes me smile. It does. When people talk to me, I know I’m a decent player if you want to talk to me out of everybody that you can talk to.
After complimenting Williams and expressing his respect for the Celtics forward, Butler added a mic-drop line: “I just don’t know if I was the best person to talk to.”
Butler was captured walking off the court with a similar message.
Heat players confirmed Butler’s sentiments given they have seen that situation play out time and time again. It doesn’t usually go well for Butler’s opponents. Williams and the Celtics learned that the hard way yet again.
