Jimmy Butler Slams Knicks, Calls Out Josh Hart

The Butler didn't do it this year, but he can't stop talking about beating the New York Knicks in the postseason.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler offered a hot take that will remain hypothetical, boldly declaring that his health, or lack thereof, is the only reason why South Beach basketball is shut down for the season. Speaking with LL Cool J's hip-hop station Rock The Bells, Butler said that his healthy presence would've eliminated both the top-seeded Boston Celtics and the second-ranked New York Knicks.

"If I was playing, Boston would be at home, New York would damn sure be pumping at home," Butler said. When the Rock the Bells interviewer brought up the danger of Josh Hart's defense, Butler rhetorically asked "the f*** that mean to me?"

Butler seemed a bit more concerned about Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, his original NBA boss upon his professional entry with the Chicago Bulls in 2011.

“I love Thibs, but I don’t want Thibs," Butler said. "Thibs, I love you baby, but I want to beat you to a pulp. You want me. I don’t want you. It’s like a one-sided relationship. You're in love with me and I love you but I’m not in love with you."

Hart has indirectly responded to Butler's barb on his Instagram story, using the meme of rapper 50 Cent to react to his unexpected inclusion in the South Floridian's fantasies.

Butler just wrapped up his fifth season in South Beach, one where the Heat came home eighth on the Eastern Conference leaderboard after enduring several injuries. Miami was seeded eighth on last season's bracket but wound up representing the East in the 2023 NBA Finals, its second such appearance in four years. The Knicks were one of the Heat's victims in that run, as Butler led the charge in a six-game defeat in the conference semifinals.

Butler himself was lost to a knee injury during in the opening leg of the Play-In Tournament, a 105-104 loss to Philadelphia that cost them a rematch with the Knicks. The Heat bested Chicago in part two to swipe the last playoff spot again but fell to the top-seeded Celtics in five games without Butler.

While the Knicks endured some injuries of their own (losing Julius Randle to a season-ending injury during Jan. 27's win over the Heat), they partly avenged last year's elimination by taking two of three meetings in this past regular season. A 100-98 win back on Nov. 24 proved particularly valuable, as it gave the Knicks the necessary edge to earn the East's wild card spot for the inaugural In-Season Tournament's knockout round.

In any event, Butler and Miami can only bask in Heat hypotheticals. Reality burns brighter for the Knicks, who tip off the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday night at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

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