The Miami Heat lost against OKC on Wednesday, but with seeding locked, that’s ok. What wasn’t “ok”, is how Jimmy Butler perceived his teammate was treated.
The Miami Heat are a no-nonsense organization. They usually field, or floor in this case I guess, a unit or group that abides by the same set or norms or principles, no-nonsense.
This knowledge alone is more than enough to make perfect sense of why Jimmy Butler chose to come here, why he is now, and why he has always been the perfect fit for a place like Miami.
No-nonsense is Jimmy Butler personified. Period.
On Wednesday though, in the Miami Heat’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, his ferocity and the depth of those perceptions were put to the test. As Chris Paul is known to be fiery and uber-competitive on the floor, he got into a little exchange with Duncan Robinson. This is how it happened, per the youtube page of Bleacher Report.
Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat “doesn’t play that”. Chris Paul probably knew, but he was reminded on Wednesday night.
Basically, Jimmy said “no, it doesn’t just end that way”, after CP3 tossed the ball off the back of his guy, Duncan Robinson. Jimmy proceeded to drop the shoulder on Chris Paul on the very next chance he got, as shown in the clip above.
That is why he’s the perfect leader. Not because of what he did, but because of how he did it.
He saw that one of his guys, arguably one of his most important guys and the best shooter in the league right now in Duncan Robinson, had gotten into it with a guy known for being pesky and who is also one of the most respected or revered guys in the league.
Instead of leaving it up to Duncan to challenge or go back at the president of the NBAPA, Jimmy Butler did what star players should do. He, with all his might, glory, and cache, took on the other guy with a ton of glory, accolades, and cache. Let Jimmy tell you himself though.
“You mess with one of my guys, especially one of my shooters, then you gotta deal with me and everybody else.”
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 13, 2020
Jimmy Butler talks about CP3 throwing the ball at Duncan Robinson. pic.twitter.com/azYPLsBJQo
It’s the literal definition of “what’s understood, doesn’t have to be explained”. There were no words needed here, as Jimmy understood that in his role as a leader, the star player on the team, and as another star player in the league in general, it was up to him to set a tone and let the other superstar know that he wasn’t having that.
Duncan could have done it, but it wouldn’t have been viewed the same way because he doesn’t have the NBA or basketball clout yet. Jimmy Butler does though and this was right in his wheelhouse. That’s how Jimmy Butler illustrated why he’s perfect here in Miami and the perfect leader for this Miami Heat team.