Grant Williams is catching a ton of, well, heat over supposedly poking the bear in Jimmy Butler. The Miami Heat star and the Boston Celtics forward got into it for a moment midway through the fourth quarter of Game 2. From there, the game and effectively the series tilted the way of Miami.
The Heat went on a commanding 24-9 run to close out the game and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Jimmy Butler making several big shots to keep the Celtics at bay.
Celtics fans such as Bill Simmons deemed it āridiculousā to pin the blame on Grant Williams when Boston as a whole failed to execute down the stretch. Even Williams himself claimed that Butler would have flipped the switch regardless.
But the man himself admitted that the flare-up with Williams actually did fire him up, which ultimately helped the Heat lock in down the stretch.
āYes it did [fuel me]. That's competition at its finest,ā said Jimmy Butler. āHe 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.ā
Before things completely bubbled up, Grant Williams' trash talk initially had the Heat star smiling as they went back down the floor.
āIt makes me smile. It does. When people talk to me. I'm like, āokay, I'm a decent player. If you want to talk to me out of everyone you can talk to' ā¦ I just don't know if I'm the best person to talk to,ā the Heat star said.
What do you think Grant Williams told Jimmy Butler here? pic.twitter.com/Hsqoqgt5xw
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 20, 2023
"It makes me key in a lot more and it pushes that will that I have to win a lot more. It makes me smileā¦ I do respect himā¦ I just don't know if I'm the best person to talk to."
Jimmy Butler on the smack talk with Grant Williams š£ļøpic.twitter.com/HcM7VhHPNo
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 20, 2023
There are few players who revel in those moments like Jimmy Butler does. Heat-Celtics Game 3 is on Sunday.
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