Veteran sports reporter Bill Simmons is not buying the talks that Grant Williams was the reason Jimmy Butler took over in Game 2 to power the Miami Heat over the Boston Celtics.

For those who missed it, Williams and Butler had a heated exchange midway through the fourth quarter. The two had a war of words and even bumped heads before their teammates and the referees separated them. The Celtics were still ahead at that point, but Butler appeared to be more motivated after that and eventually led the Heat to a 24-9 run to complete the comeback and seal the 111-105 win.

Butler had 13 of his 27 points in the final quarter. And after witnessing what Jimmy Buckets did, many were quick to blame Williams for poking the bear.

Simmons, for his part, argued that he doesn't think Williams was the reason Butler suddenly broke out. After all, whether someone pokes him or not, it's already normal for Butler to take over late in games as he has done throughout the 2023 playoffs.

“Hanging that loss on Grant Williams is ridiculous. The “he woke Jimmy up” people need to get the F out of here. Jimmy has done that all playoffs. And the Celts have blown that exact game like 15-16 times this season. They get out-thought and out-executed in 4Q by any smart team,” Simmons shared.

While Bill Simmons has a good point, the fact of the matter is Grant Williams' actions did have an effect on Jimmy Butler. The Heat star said in his postgame presser that his exchange with the Celtics forward helped him become more locked in.

“It makes me key in a lot more and it pushes that will that I have to win a lot more. It makes me smile… I do respect him… I just don't know if I'm the best person to talk to,” Butler told reporters, via ClutchPoints Twitter.

It might be true that the Celtics would have lost anyway even without Williams trying to get Butler off his rhythm. Nonetheless, it certainly didn't help them that he angered Butler.