"Hell no, mf, I'm here" :Grant Williams details confrontation with Jimmy Butler which led to Heat star going off
Grant Williams’ confrontation against Jimmy Butler in the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat didn’t end well for Boston. The Celtics were trying to even the series in Game 2 when the altercation happened.
Here’s what Williams had to say about that incident on the “Tidal League” podcast (via Bleacher Report):
“We’re playing that game, I think we’re [up] eight [points] and I’m playing well. And Jimmy says, ‘Hell no! He ain’t here.’ I made a three and I said, ‘Hell no, mf, I'm here!’ Barking. Imma always respond. I never trash talk. I’m not a trash talker. I’m too nerdy.”
He added:
“The next play, Jimmy had the stop, pivot [and] and-1. And he said, ‘I’m here, too, mf!’ I’m like, ‘I don’t give a f**k. We’re going back and forth. Me, I’m not backing down. It’s kind of what we were missing in the series. They were punking us the entire time.”
Grant Williams speaks on his head to head with Jimmy 😅
(via @TidalLeague, runyourracepodcast) twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/KQvv4rba9S
Grant Williams was a surprising DNP in Game 1, considering he is one of the team’s best and toughest defenders. Joe Mazzulla adjusted and played him more the following game.
The Celtics went up 96-87 after Williams’ three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Jimmy Butler tried to bother him by trash-talking first. Boston’s bruising forward got into Butler’s face as they raced down the court.
The Miami Heat superstar's and-1 started a 9-0 run from the Miami Heat that allowed Erik Spoestra’s team to gain momentum. Miami kept its composure in the last remaining minutes to emerge with a 111-105 win and stun the Celtics yet again on their home floor.
Mazzulla kept Grant Williams in the lineup throughout the conference finals. He helped the Celtics rally from a 0-3 deficit to force a Game 7 but ultimately lost the series. The forward averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.8 minutes per game.
The Boston Celtics didn't want to pay $40 million in luxury tax to keep Grant Williams
The Boston Celtics would have loved to keep Grant Williams. “Batman” averaged 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists last season. He hit 45.4% of his shots, including 39.5% from deep.
Boston has been superb partly due to Williams’ versatility, particularly on the defensive ends. The Celtics have asked him to guard some of the NBA’s best players such as Jimmy Butler and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the playoffs.
Keeping him, though, would have meant the Celtics will need to pay roughly $40 million in luxury tax. After acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and extending him, Boston wasn’t going to pay that amount for a backup forward averaging around 24 minutes per game.
Celtics officially sign Kristaps Porzingis to contract extension; complete Grant Williams sign-and-trade deal trib.al/faeZxME pic.twitter.com/J3gaBfo0Dk
The Boston Celtics eventually traded Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team deal.
Also read: “Everyone tryna be Dillon Brooks these days” – Grant Williams trash-talking Jayson Tatum has NBA fans reacting hilariously