The Miami Heat have been one of the most feared playoff teams in the NBA over the past few years. Still, in the latest Playoffs, they got ousted in five games in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics, largely because star forward Jimmy Butler was out due to injury.
That didn't stop Butler from trash-talking the C's throughout the series, which irritated Pat Riley after their season came to an end. Reflecting on this testy interaction, Andre Iguodala explained where he believes "The Godfather" is coming from.
Dre clears the air on Riley's Butler comments
Iggy spent two seasons late in his career playing for the Heat, and he was a part of their 2020 NBA Finals run, where they ended up losing in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a result, he knows the organization's high standards for themselves.
That starts at the top with Pat, who is one of the greatest all-around winners the NBA has ever seen. Iguodala believes that Riley's constant desire to win led him to lash out at Butler, who was aimlessly taunting the Celtics despite not competing against them.
"Coming from Pat Riley's side and where he's come from, the man's been in the Finals every decade going back to the 70s," Iggy said on Point Forward . He's had a lot of success, and for a team that's been in the Play-In two consecutive years…Pat doesn't believe in tanking, he doesn't believe in rebuilding; he believes in being competitive year in, year out, no matter who's on their roster."
Pat and Jimmy should move past this
Given the circumstances, it was fair for Riles to be upset with Butler. The Celtics were clearly the more talented team, and Butler was viciously trolling them after the Heat's Game 2 victory. Boston proceeded to ruthlessly win the next three games to send Miami packing.
As a result of this strange tension, trade rumors swirled around Butler early on this offseason. However, Jimmy clarified that he didn't want to leave the Heat and was committed to winning with them and Riley.
With the Heat's star sticking around, the Heat have had a quiet offseason. They lost Caleb Martin, which will surely hurt. Still, they re-signed Haywood Highsmith and brought Alec Burks to town, so the hope is that Butler can lead Miami back to their recent postseason highs.
His desire to win may sometimes blind him, but "Jimmy Buckets" feels the same way about winning, so they are a perfect match. Iguodala thinks Riley was letting Butler know he was out of line, and now that they are on the same page, the Heat will surely be ready to bounce back next season.
Related: "I am not getting any younger!" – Jimmy Butler admits Father Time is his toughest opponent in the NBA
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