With the Golden State Warriors scheduled for their first game in Miami against the Heat since their new max contract forward, Jimmy Butler, was acquired via trade, all eyes around the NBA are firmly placed on South Beach.
How, fans wondered, would Butler react to this big matchup? Would he keep it professional, using his incredible scoring prowess to show the Heat what they are missing? Or would he go directly at his former teammates, his former head coach, or even his former team president, with whom his relationship grew increasingly sour before the deal with Golden State was eventually done?
While fans won’t know the answer to that question until the Warriors are on their way back to the Bay, Butler laid out a warning to Riley about any interactions around the game before tip-off, laying out how he felt in naked detail.
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“I have nothing to say to Pat [Riley], and Pat better have nothing to say to me,” Butler declared.
Now, while it may feel like a year ago based on how quickly things change in the NBA, Butler and Riley got ugly before the former was shipped out of town, with the latter releasing statements and suspending his star player on multiple occasions for his public desire to finish out his season elsewhere. Details about Butler’s private jet usage emerged, as did questions about his commitment, and when the deal was eventually done, it was clear there wasn’t going to be a recensiliation between the two parties any time soon.
Now afforded a chance to stand in the same arena together once more, Butler clearly hasn’t let is former feelings good, with his new jersey, number, and even the name on the back of it covering a player who still has hurt feelings about how things went down. Fortunately, Butler has a way to make his former team pay, as he earned the start against his former team, even if Steve Kerr’s club was outscored by the Heat heading into the half.
