MIAMI – This comment came immediately after the heat of the Miami Heat action. Still, it would be surprising if it wasn’t displayed prominently in the New Orleans Pelicans locker room Friday night at the Kaseya Center.
I barely did it Heat defeats Pelicans 106-95 on February 23 at Smoothie King CenterIn a controversial game that left four players ejected, Heat forward Jimmy Butler was later asked about this season’s rematch.
“We’ll beat them next time too,” Butler, one of the four sent-offs, said after the match. “We’re just a better team.”
Butler didn’t stop there.
“I’m not going to say it’s not a good team,” he said. “I don’t think it really matters. I think when we have them on our pitch it will be a different game. I hope they are healthy. It will be the same result.
At the time, the Heat were arguably in a more confident position.
“Our team is so ready to take on whatever anyone throws at us,” Butler said after that game. “We are so together and we play incredible basketball. I don’t think it matters who we’re playing right now. It’s that time of year.
Since that game, the Heat have gone 7-6.
Since that game, heading into Thursday’s game, the Pelicans were 8-3.
Questioned following Wednesday night’s victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse if he stands by his previous comments. Butler smiled.
“I don’t go into any game saying we’re going to lose,” said Butler, who just had 30 points against the Cavaliers. “But we’re going to do a dub. It’s on our floor, so we’ll be fine anyway.
With both teams engaged in heated playoff races — the Pelicans playing for the field in the first round, the Heat looking to climb out of the play-in bracket — Friday will likely transcend revenge.
“It doesn’t linger,” said center Thomas Bryant, the other Heat player ejected that night. “I’m not going to let this linger or anything like that.”
In addition to his ejection, Bryant was suspended three games for the fight, with Butler and Heat forward Nikola Jovic each suspended one game.
For the Pelicans, Naji Marshall and Jose Alvarado were also ejected that night, with Marshall suspended one game and Alvarado three.
“It happens, it stays in the past and we move on,” Bryant said looking ahead to Friday night. “The train continues to roll. We don’t look into the past.
The reality is that the controversy stemmed from an uncontested play, when Pelicans forward Zion Williams stole the ball from Butler and Heat forward Love grabbed Williamson to prevent an uncontested layup.
As Love was called for his foul, Williamson fell to the field.
And then emotions flared, with Williamson questioning all the commotion.
“I wasn’t tripping over K-Love because he protected me when I fell,” Williamson said at the time. “All of a sudden I see Butler rushing towards Naji, so I’m trying to get there like, ‘Yo, relax, like what’s going on?’ »
At the time, Butler questioned the legitimacy of Williamson’s fall.
“On K-Love’s best day,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said at the time, “I don’t think he could knock him over.”
The Heat have won a franchise record seven straight times against the Pelicans, looking to sweep the series for the fourth straight season on Friday.
Perhaps more concerning for the Heat is the 17-15 record at Kaseya Center that they will carry into Friday’s start of a four-game homestand, yet to establish on-court dominance this season.
All Butler knows is that he’s past last month’s scrap, but not beyond trying to recoup some of his lost salary.
“There’s a fucking memory,” he said. “I received a significant fine. I don’t care about the tensions that flare up and all that. I have children. I have diapers, baby food. That’s all I’m worried about, trying to get my bread back.
