Jimmy Butler has just about had it with Marcus Smart. After the Chicago Bulls suffered a second straight home loss at the hands of the No. 1-seeded Boston Celtics, the All-Star swingman claimed Smart wasn't the tough guy he tries to be, claiming “he's not about that life.”
“He’s a great actor, acting tough, that’s what he does — but I don’t think he’s about that,” Butler said in his post-game press conference after the two had an incident where they had to be separated by the referees. “And I’m the wrong guy to get in my face. So he needs to take it somewhere else because I’m not the one for that.”
Jimmy Butler and Marcus Smart get into it. 👀
— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) April 23, 2017
Smart is beefy for a guard, but not so big to go at it against a full-fledged NBA forward like Butler, who stands at 6-foot-7 and 231 pounds.
“We’re not gonna sit here and get in each other’s faces,” Butler added. “Like I said, he’s not about that life. Calm it down.”
The Celtics guard has been a notoriously pesky defender, but is more widely known around the league for his flopping antics than his toughness or grit at the defensive end.
Boston has flipped the series and regained home court advantage, now riding all the momentum going into a Game 5 at home at the TD Garden.
Butler is averaging 24.8 points through four games this series — the highest playoff scoring average of his career — but he's done so while shooting a poor 41 percent from the floor and 24 percent from the three-point line. The Bulls will need a more efficient approach from him if they hope to steal a game on the road.
Follow Us
Subscribe