“I said, 'Hell, no, motherf**ker, I'm here'” - Grant Williams on what provoked Jimmy Butler during Game 2 of 2023 Eastern Conference finals
Grant Williams has a reputation for talking trash on occasion, but his banter against Jimmy Butler in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals might have hurt his team.
On the "Run Your Race" podcast, Williams was asked about his exchange with Butler during Game 2, which preceded a dramatic finish to regulation.
The Boston Celtics were up nine points heading into the final six minutes at home. Williams had just made a huge 3-pointer for that cushion, and he started talking trash to Butler. The star forward had been instigating Williams all night and eventually got under his skin. The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are long-time rivals as well, so there has always been bad blood between the teams.
The exchange fueled Jimmy Butler, and he took over the final few minutes as Miami won 111-105. Several fans were upset with Grant Williams for provoking Butler or "poking the bear."
When Theo Pinson asked him what he said that upset Butler, Williams answered:
"Jimmy says, like, 'Hell, no, he ain't here.' So, I made a 3, and I said, 'Hell, no, motherfucker, I'm here.' That happens. The next play, Jimmy hesi, boom, boom, stop, pivot, and-one. And he said, 'I'm here, too, motherfucker.'
"And so we're going back and forth. Like, I'm not backing down. Like, that's kind of what we were missing in that series. They were punking us the entire time."
"Jimmy says, 'Hell nah. He ain't here.' ... I said, 'Hell no motherf*cker I'm here.' ... I'm not a trash talker. I'm too nerdy... Jimmy knows it's all love cuz we're just competitors, like naturally."
Grant Williams tells the story of the back and forth he had with Jimmy Butler… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/WaANrIV5pi
After the game, according to Grant Williams and Bam Adebayo, it was Butler who instigated Williams and not the other way around. His teammate, Adebayo, said he often picks up fights to get himself going, and that is exactly what happened in Game 2 of the Boston-Miami series.
After the exchange, Jimmy Butler scored nine points in the final six minutes, almost all while Grant Williams was guarding him. He was hunting Williams down on that end of the floor and consistently scoring with a flurry of moves. He shot 85.7% when guarded by Williams in Game 2.
Jimmy Butler says trash talk with Grant Williams fueled him down the stretch of Game 2
Jimmy Butler said that the exchange with Grant Williams fueled the Miami Heat's comeback late in Game 2, and especially his heroics. He was scoreless in the quarter until that moment and then went on a five-point run by himself. He then scored four straight points in the final three minutes to tie the game and take the lead.
Butler's teammates were all into the fight, though. They knew that it would fire him up.
"I knew it was going to be good for us," Caleb Martin said.
"I feel like things like that always fuel Jimmy," Bam Adebayo said.
When Jimmy Butler was asked directly if his late-game play was a result of the fued with Williams, he said:
"Yes, It did. But that’s just competition at its finest. He hit a big shot, started talking to me. I like that. I’m all for that. It makes me key in a lot more, and it pushed that will that I have to win a lot more, and it makes me smile. It does. When people talk to me, I’m like, ‘OK,’ I know I’m a decent player, if you want to talk to me out of everybody that you can talk to.
"But I don’t know, it’s just it’s competition. I do respect him, though. He’s a big part of what they try to do. He switches. He can shoot the ball. I just don’t know if I’m the best person to talk to."
Grant Williams: "I'm going to battle. He got the best out of me tonight & at the end of the day it's out of respect."
Jimmy Butler: "I respect him. He's a big part of what they try to do. I just don't know if I'm the best person to talk to."
pic.twitter.com/2yvpCrFIus twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Even Boston Celtics players had no good answer when asked about the exchange. Even though Williams "poked the bear," he did score seven straight points in that quarter, backing up his trash talk. But it didn't matter, as the Celtics lost the game and fell into an 0-2 hole, heading to Miami for Games 3 and 4.
Miami won the series in seven games.
"Did Grant Williams make a mistake poking the bear with Jimmy Butler?"
Jaylen Brown: "Next Question." pic.twitter.com/IUqLAS3MMq