NBA veteran Grant Williams recently appeared on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV and looked back at a moment in which he and Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler got into a bit of a scuffle.
The incident occurred last year, during Game 2 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
“I still don’t think it was a ‘poke the bear moment’ – All [Jimmy Butler] said was ‘I’m here too!’… It was like the most corny trash talk that we’ve had” 😂@Grant2Will on his scuffle with @JimmyButler in Game 2 of the ECF in 2023 pic.twitter.com/pHoWiY5DaP
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 12, 2024
“At the same time, I look back to that game and I’m like, ‘Hey, I think it gave us a little bit of fight,'” Williams said.
The conference finals last season was one to be remembered. After shockingly going up 3-0 in the series, Miami let the Celtics get back into it by dropping Games 4, 5 and 6.
The series culminated in a surprising Game 7 in Boston. While many experts and fans expected Boston to make history and win the series after falling into a 0-3 deficit, that is not what ended up taking place.
Butler was magnificent for much of the series, and he saved arguably his best performance for that Game 7 showdown in Boston.
In that game, he put up 28 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. The Heat ended up dominating the game, 103-84, outscoring the Celtics 27-18 in the final frame of the game.
As for Williams, he played a minor role in the series. He did not appear in Game 1 of the conference finals and ended up averaging just 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in the following six matchups.
In Game 7 of the series, Williams had a horrendous plus/minus of minus-19 when on the floor.
Williams’ 2023-24 season has been over for quite some time. He played for the Charlotte Hornets this past regular season, and the Hornets were nowhere near the playoff chase in the East.
However, his former Boston teammates are likely making him quite proud. After dominating their way through the East in the playoffs, the Celtics are just two wins away from hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
Interestingly, Williams spent the first portion of the 2023-24 regular season on the Dallas Mavericks. Had he not been moved to the Hornets prior to the trade deadline this season, it’s quite likely that he’d be facing off against his old teammates in the current NBA Finals matchup.
