Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat blow kisses to TJ Warren on social media
The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers aren’t exactly the best of friends.
This has been the case for years. Remember Udonis Haslem and Lance Stephenson? And LeBron James and Lance Stephenson? And Ray Allen and Lance Stephenson? And Juwan Howard and Lance Stephenson?
OK, you get it. There was some stuff with David West and Danny Granger too.
Things got a little chippy between the two teams again on Wednesday night, with Jimmy Butler and T.J. Warren had an exchanging of pleasantries during the Miami Heat’s 122-108 win over the Indiana Pacers. Butler had a great night, scoring 14 points on five-of-six shooting from the field. He also made all four free throws he attempted, and recorded six rebounds.
— Brendan Tobin (@Brendan_Tobin) January 9, 2020
Warren had a rough night to say the least. He went one-of-five from the field and made one of two attempts from the free throw line. He had three points in 23 minutes of play. Warren was also a -25 while he was on the floor. When these two teams meet again on March 20, things should be interesting.
Miami leads the season series by a 2-0 margin. Prior to this game, they met on December 27 at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won narrowly, 113-112. The series is certainly trending in the right direction, particularly since the Pacers won the last three meetings prior to Miami winning the pair.
Friday, March 20 should be a whole lot of fun. That is the next time the Heat and Pacers will face off. Bankers Life FieldHouse will be the venue, and it will set the stage for a Butler-Warren rematch.
If Warren shows up.
Maybe not if someone shows him social media from tonight.
Legend https://t.co/kHsyfxccNG
— Meyers Leonard (@MeyersLeonard) January 9, 2020
It’s safe to say that Jimmy Butler is looking forward to this matchup. His post on Instagram said it all. Derrick Jones Jr., who played with Warren in Phoenix in 2017-18 also added his two cents on Twitter in regards to Wednesday night. Meyers Leonard did the same. One thing is for certain: There is certainly no love lost between these two teams.
Talk ya shxt 🤬🤬 https://t.co/O40ehIkZpT
— Derrick Jones Jr. (@TheRea1DJones) January 9, 2020
There is no doubt that his words with Warren ignited a competitive fire. That’s the type of Jimmy Butler we love to see. There is little doubt that he will be booed when Miami travels to Indiana. However, that will undoubtedly fuel the fire for him to play even harder. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out, and if the tensions increase in subsequent matchups.
Because all the Heat players appear to be firmly on Butler’s side, including the rookies:
— Tyler Herro (@raf_tyler) January 9, 2020
And the veterans:
Great team win vs @Pacers . Let’s go @MiamiHEAT !!! #TheDragon 🐲🔥 Good night pic.twitter.com/NToldzKrnv
— Goran Dragić (@Goran_Dragic) January 9, 2020