Jimmy Butler booed in return to Miami as Heat lock up Warriors

MIAMI — Every time Jimmy Butler touched the ball, he heard it from the Kaseya Center crowd. His dribbles served as percussion to a chorus of boos.

He’d heard that song before, in Philadelphia and in Minnesota after leaving those teams under suboptimal circumstances. But he didn’t make the same level of impact there as he did in Miami.

The same fans who fell in love with him as he carried the Heat to their best years since the Heatles era jeered him. The mercurial superstar publicly beefed with team president Pat Riley — and vice versa — and got slapped with three separate team suspensions this year after he requested a trade. Apparently, despite the perennial postseason heroics, the fans had had enough.

“I’m always painted as the bad guy,” Butler said the day before the game. “Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve always been a problem. So, we’ll take it. I don’t got nothing to say. I’m not mad at being a bad guy.”

No matter how the polarizing wing was received, the Warriors’ loss hurts more. Golden State (41-31) never led in their 112-86 blowout. Steph Currys’ pelvic contusion prevented him from supporting his new teammate and the Warriors’ offense suffered for it. The Warriors starters missed their first 14 3-pointers and the team put out its second-lowest scoring total of the season.

“I see it for what it is — the chapter has ended,” said Butler, who tallied 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting. “A new one has begun. But, like I always say, I’m very appreciative for my time here. For the bonds I built here. When you look down the road, this was a huge part of my career. So I continue to say I’m very grateful.”

Bam Adebayo led the Heat with a monster two-way game, finishing with 27 points and eight rebounds. Andrew Wiggins, the 2022 NBA champion with the Warriors, likewise made an impact on both ends with 10 points, five assists and five rebounds. The Warriors have dropped both of their first two games of their ongoing six-game road, with Curry expected to return on Friday in New Orleans.

“I think Friday, Friday is our biggest game of the year,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “We’ve lost two games in a row, very poor performances. It’s time, we’ve got to bounce back. That’s what good teams do and I’m confident we’ll do that.”

Butler’s former head coach, Erik Spoelstra, said he looks back fondly at the past five-plus years before the trade. In this increasingly transient league, Butler’s chapter with the Heat — two NBA Finals berths and a swath of legendary playoff moments — should, with time, supersede his messy exit.

But that divorce was still fresh on many Heat fans’ minds. Even if it didn’t compare to the infamous “cupcake” game Kevin Durant and the Warriors experienced in Oklahoma City in 2017.

“Miami is a great place to live, so people don’t ever seem too amped up around here,” Kerr said postgame. “They’re living the good life. It really wasn’t that rabid of an environment, it was typical Miami. I think the main part of Jimmy’s return was the Heat were ready. And Spo had them ready.”

There was some curiosity within the Warriors as to whether the Heat would even prepare a video for Butler given how his relationship with Riley soured. The Heat, after all, don’t do anything of significance without Riley’s approval.

Yet there it flashed on the jumbotron, a one-minute ode to Butler’s fierce competitiveness and tendency to rise in the playoffs. Butler watched from the visitor’s bench, acknowledging it to a mix of boos and cheers.

The crowd erupted when Wiggins — the former Warrior — stripped Butler on a fast break early in the first quarter.

“You could sense it on both sides,” Wiggins said postgame. “Always when you play a former teammate or a former team, there’s extra motivation.”

Adebayo was primarily defending Butler, leading a charged-up defense. Miami forced two shot clock violations and a five-second call in the first six minutes of the game.

On Butler drives, at least two Miami defenders would help into the paint, closing off paths to the cup.

“They sent a lot of double teams and I don’t think we adjusted well,” Draymond Green said postgame.

Adebayo was also Miami’s most consistent source of offense. Butler’s only All-Star teammate during his five seasons in Miami, Adebayo beat Draymond Green’s ball pressure with a crossover and dunk before euro-stepping on a fast break.

Like the Chase Center fans were jubilant when Butler notched a game-sealing block last week against the Raptors, the Heat fans went crazy when Kel’el Ware stuffed Butler at the rim.

Related Articles Warriors rule out Steph Curry for Jimmy Butler return game at Miami Warriors-Heat: Jimmy Butler’s history of revenge games Warriors’ Jimmy Butler takes high road about Heat exit Warriors’ Jimmy Butler takes high road about Heat exit Steph Curry rejoins Warriors after pelvic injury, could play at Heat

Butler started 1-for-6 from the floor as the Warriors fell behind by 17. In the second quarter, Golden State went five straight minutes without a field goal.

Tyler Herro’s corner 3 at the buzzer gave Miami a 57-40 halftime lead. The Heat held Golden State to 14-for-40 (35%) shooting in the half and forced eight turnovers. By stymying Butler, the Heat short-circuited the Warriors’ offensive engine.

Butler scored six quick points to re-energize the second half and the Warriors defense turned the Heat over five times in the third quarter. Golden State’s bench, with Kevon Looney in the mix to contend with Miami’s frontcourt, cut a 20-point deficit to eight.

Miami’s defense remained stout, though. The Warriors committed five turnovers in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter. They shot 9-for-38 (23.7%) from behind the arc, sorely missing Curry. They’re a top-10 offense with Curry and rank 30th in offensive ratings without him.

The Warriors subbed out Butler, for good, facing a 20-point hole with 7:06 left. The fans didn’t even realize in the moment they’d already seen the last of him for the year.

Butler might’ve been the bad guy to the Heat fans in the arena, but he didn’t antagonize them. The Warriors didn’t give him a chance to. As some of his teammates embraced Wiggins on the court after the final horn, Butler dapped up a couple friends courtside and bolted for the locker room.

“The video was nice,” Butler said. “I won’t say that there’s a lot of emotion. I went into this thing level-headed and wanted to win the game, but it didn’t go the way we planned.”