Jimmy Butler Reveals How Heat Plan to Bounce Back After Game 4 Loss

The hard-working forward provided a decidedly out-of-character response.
Jimmy Butler Reveals How Heat Plan to Bounce Back After Game 4 Loss
Jimmy Butler Reveals How Heat Plan to Bounce Back After Game 4 Loss /

Few would describe Heat forward Jimmy Butler—once characterized by Miami coach Erik Spoelstra as having a “Hall of Fame work ethic”—as relaxed.

However, Butler was surprisingly unbothered after the Heat lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals 116–99 to the Celtics on Wednesday evening. To wit, he unveiled a memorable quote when asked how Miami planned to rebound from a loss that denied it a chance to clinch a conference title at home.

“We’re gonna listen to some music. We’re gonna drink some beers back there. Gonna have some wine,” Butler said. “I don’t think that you can just focus on basketball all the time. You have to be able to get away from the game a bit.”

The Heat, who stunned the basketball world by taking a 3–0 lead against Boston, were extinguished in the third quarter Wednesday when the Celtics outscored them 38–23.

"We’re gonna smile, we’re gonna be in this thing together like we always are, and we’re gonna go get one on the road," Butler said.

Miami will take its second crack at becoming the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals Thursday evening in Boston.


Published
Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .