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Having Miami Heat cornerstone Jimmy Butler on your bad side has oft proven to be a bad omen for teams throughout his NBA career. The Boston Celtics are currently finding this out the hard way, for not only has the perennial All-Star been a pest with his play, but with his antics on and off the court as well.
Following Miami’s Game 3 blowout over the Celtics, Jimmy Butler posted a myriad of images to his personal Instagram account, with the featured picture being him on one knee showcasing the hand symbol for “timeout,” which, when done, was a direct shot at Celtics big man Al Horford for doing the same gesture toward the Heat after going on a 13-3 run in the second period of Game 1.
Jimmy Butler has simply been incredible during the Heat’s 2023 postseason run and has only continued his dominance against the Celtics now in a rematch of last year’s conference finals.
Through three games played, the wing finds himself posting dominant all-around averages of 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and just shy of a block while shooting 46.0% from the field.
Led by his efforts and leadership, the Heat find themselves on the verge of advancing to their second NBA Finals in four years, as they hold a 3-0 series lead over Boston.
Al Horford Takes Responsibility for Celtics Loss
Though some, including Joe Mazzulla himself, believe the latest loss for the Celtics was largely due to the failures of the coaching staff, big man Al Horford has a different opinion on who’s to blame for the team’s shortcomings.
Asked during his post-game media session who he believes should take responsibility for Boston’s lackluster showing, the veteran suggested that the players are the ones that ultimately need to take ownership.
“At the end of the day [responsibility] falls on each player. We know what we have to do. We knew the magnitude of this game and, as a player, I take responsibility because we didn’t have what we needed to have so that’s what that is,” Al Horford said.
Horford would continue on by stating that while the Celtics are “rightfully so being counted out” of this series being that they find themselves down 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, ultimately, he made it clear that he and his teammates must understand they still have a chance, saying “we’re not out yet.”
Charles Barkley ‘Embarrassed’ for Celtics
Despite sporting the second-best record in the entire association this season, the Celtics find themselves on the verge of being eliminated by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.
Discussing the lowly play by the team thus far into their Eastern Conference Finals bout, NBA Hall of Famer and current Inside the NBA personality Charles Barkley put Boston on blast.
“I’m embarrassed for the Celtics,” Barkley said. “That display of basketball…No mental toughness. Complaining on every single call. They made the refs mad because they complained on every single call.”
On the night, the Celtics shot a putrid 39.8% from the field and 26.2% from deep and coughed up a whopping 15 turnovers while allowing the Heat to sport a conversion rate of 56.8% shooting from the field and 54.3% from beyond the arc.
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