A clip of Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler bashing the Knicks and Boston Celtics went viral over the weekend, and Heat president Pat Riley was none too pleased.
“If I was playing, Boston would be at home. New York for damn sure would be f–king at home,” said Butler.
He then took a couple of swipes at two members of the Knicks in particular: Josh Hart and Tom Thibodeau.
“Josh Hart? What does that mean to me? Josh Hart?”
“Thibs, I love you, baby. I want to beat you to a pulp,” he continued” You want me, I don’t want you. It’s like a one-sided relationship. You’re in love with me. I love you, but I’m not in love with you.”
Riley, speaking on Monday at his end-of-season news conference, wasn’t thrilled with what Butler had to say.
“For him to say that, I thought is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious? If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut and your criticism of those teams,” Riley said.
Butler suffered a right MCL injury in the Heat’s Play-In Tournament loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He ended up playing 40 minutes in that game, but it was clear he couldn’t really move. He was then shut down for the entire five-game series against the Celtics as Miami’s season came to an end.
Butler and Thibodeau go back to their days together with Chicago and Minnesota, and when the Knicks head coach was asked if he saw Butler’s comments on Sunday, he responded with a perfect answer.
“Who? Don’t know him,” Thibodeau said with wink and a nod, “but I will beat him to a pulp.”
