The Celtics thoroughly dominated their first round matchup against the Heat this year, outscoring Miami by an average of 15.6 points per game in the 4-1 series win. A shorthanded Heat squad was missing a number of key players for those contests including star wing Jimmy Butler, who was sidelined with an MCL sprain. Butler helped to upset the Celtics last year as a No. 8 seed in the East and had a bold claim about what his impact would have been in 2024 if he suited up.
In an interview with Rock The Bells that surfaced online on Saturday, Butler claimed, “If I was playing, Boston would be at home.”
It was not the first time Butler had something to say about the Celtics this series. During a Game 3 interview with Chris Haynes of TNT, Butler came out firing against Boston after Miami’s Game 2 upset win when asked about the potential of a series win.
“I think we believe,” Butler told Haynes “It’s everybody else that don’t. If I gotta hear one more praise about Boston on national TV when we win a game, I’m tired of hearing that man. It’s 1-1. We gonna go up 2-1. See ya later, peace!”
The Celtics went on to win Game 3 by 20 points and closed the Heat out with three straight double digit wins to wrap up their series in five games.
Butler also did some trash talking about the Knicks in the same interview in which he claimed he would have upset the top-seeded Celtics.
The comments come with a backdrop of what will be a very interesting offseason for Butler in Miami. The veteran forward has just one year remaining on his contract to go with a player option and is reportedly looking for a contract extension worth $113 million according to the Miami Herald. However, multiple NBA insiders including David Aldridge have signaled that another max deal for Butler from Miami is far from a sure thing after his disappointing injury plagued season.
Whether he remains in Miami or demands a new home if he can’t get a new contract is an open question. However, his bold claim looks foolish against what had been the best team in the NBA in the regular season. Butler and the Heat caught lightning in their improbable run to the NBA Finals last year as a No. 8 seed. One year later, several key players from that Heat squad had departed and the Celtics had vastly improved, putting together one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. Butler would have helped but it seems unlikely he would have tipped the scales given that Miami had gone winless against Boston in the regular season and Butler had averaged 15.5 points in those losses.
The Celtics will kick off their second-round series against the Cavs or Magic on Tuesday night while Butler and the Heat watch from home.
