For Jimmy Butler, the Warriors’ upcoming matchup with the Miami Heat on Tuesday is just another game. On just another day that ends in -y.
And while that might be the sentiment that Golden State’s veteran forward coveys publicly, the first game against his former team since the blockbuster Feb. 5 trade is one Butler likely has had circled for quite some time.
However, you wouldn’t know that based on his comments about the upcoming matchup after the Warriors’ 124-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
“Yeah, I was traded from there, yada, yada, yada,” Butler said after Saturday’s loss about his return to Miami. “Yeah, it didn’t end the way that people wanted to, yada yada yada.
“But that’s so far behind me now. I don’t even think about it. I don’t pay attention to nothing except for the trajectory of this squad.”
Butler led the Heat on two NBA Finals runs in four years, and as he prepares to return to the arena where he played five-plus seasons and created countless memories, he is not worried about the reception he will receive from Heat fans on Tuesday night.
“Not really, don’t make no difference,” Butler said. “I’m a member of the Golden State Warriors. I love that fan base. They showed me a lot of love while I was there. But I’m there to win now. I’m on the opposing team.”
While Butler had plenty of success during his time in Miami, he and the Heat ultimately fell short of their ultimate goal.
“We were alright,” Butler shared. “We didn’t win nothing like we were supposed to. So I don’t know. We made some cool runs. We had some fun. I think that’s all we did.”
Despite Butler’s subdued reaction to the Warriors’ upcoming game, the weight of the reunion is not lost on his new teammates.
“We got Jimmy over here, I know this is a big game for him,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “They got [Andrew Wiggins] over there. I know it’s a huge game for him. We want to win for Jimmy, they’re going to want to win for Wiggs. We got to come out ready to play.”
After a frustrating loss to the Hawks without injured superstar Steph Curry, the Warriors (41-30) will look to bounce back against the Heat (29-41) on Tuesday in a game that probably means more to Butler than he is willing to admit.
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