The New York Knicks have received a heap of praise for downing the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 in their 2024 Eastern Conference first-round series, but not from one former NBA All-Star.
Jimmy Butler says the Knicks would be “at home” if they faced the Heat in the playoffs
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler fired shots at the Knicks in an Instagram video that soon went viral. As ClutchPoints shared on X, he declared that if he were healthy, the Knicks would be home right now, along with the Boston Celtics (h/t Zach Braziller of the New York Post):
“If I was playing, Boston would be at home. New York would damn sure be f****** at home,” Butler boasted.
When he was asked about Hart and Thibodeau, he continued: “F*** that mean to me? Josh Hart? Come on man. Nah, I love Thibs. Thibs! I love you, baby. I want to beat you, to a pulp!”
Jimmy Butler’s playoff success against the Knicks adds fuel to his recent trash-talk
Butler was able to lead the Heat to wins over the Knicks in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals and the Celtics in that year’s Eastern Conference Finals en route to their second NBA Finals berth since 2020. Hence why he’s continued to bask in his bragging rights.
This year though, the Heat finished as the No. 8 seed in the East. Therefore, he wouldn’t have even had the opportunity to eliminate the Knicks, who finished as the No. 2 seed, until at least the Conference Finals, neither could he have knocked them out of playoff contention with four games having separated both teams in the standings.
Does Butler want another shot at defeating the Knicks again?
The Heat wound up losing to the Celtics in a gentlemen’s sweep in their first-round matchup without Butler available. He clearly feels as though the outcome would have been different had he been in uniform this year.
As for the Heat and Knicks, they did have their share of back-and-forths stemming back to their playoff series from a year ago. Butler may still have some bad blood for the franchise despite coming out on top, and a desire to further his upper hand on them the next time they play.