Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 111-105 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup on Friday night, but all anyone could talk about afterward was Grant Williams.
For whatever reason, Williams decided to talk smack to Butler, a five-time member of the All-NBA team, shortly after scoring a bucket. This was a very poor decision for the player who started just 23 games for the Celtics during the regular season.
The Heat went on a 24-9 run after Williams got in the face of Butler, taking a commanding 2-0 series lead, winning both of their matchups on the road at TD Garden. After the game, Williams had no choice but to be humble about what transpired, but he vows to come back in Game 3 with a “better mentality.”
“(Jimmy Butler) got the best of me tonight, and at the end of the day, it’s out of respect, because I’m not going to run away from it. My mom always taught me, and my dad as well, you get your ass kicked and you don’t come back home until you come battle again. You either come back before you die or you come back and get a win, and I’m not ready to die in this finals. I’m ready to f—ing get a win. I’m ready to come back and come into Game 3 with a better mentality.”
Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams’ response after Game 2
Williams will get his chance, now heading on the road to Miami for a matchup at Kaseya Center against the Heat for Game 3 on Sunday night at 8:30 PM ET. Hopefully, he doesn’t try and spark Butler’s flame once again. Chances are, he’s learned from his mistake.
Related: 4 major takeaways from Miami Heat’s big Game 2 win over Boston Celtics