In the second quarter of Sunday’s Game 4 between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics, Bulls guard Jimmy Butler and Celtics guard Marcus Smart wound up face to face in a heated interaction.
After the game, Butler didn’t mince words when discussing the run-in.
“As far as the Marcus Smart situation goes, he’s a great actor, acting tough,” Butler said. “That’s what he does. But I don’t think he’s about that. I’m the wrong guy to get in my face. He needs to take it somewhere else, because I’m not the one for that.”
After being asked a follow-up question about Smart, Butler reiterated that, “He’s not about that life. Calm it down.”
Jimmy Butler just went all the way in on Marcus Smart https://t.co/GMlmzsXvoS
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) April 24, 2017
Smart is known as a bit of a pest (and also an actor), and he joins a long legacy of NBA players accused of being fake tough guys who’ll get in opponents’ face but won’t go any further.
Not that Butler was exactly throwing punches. As the Bulls’ best player, he had the good sense to avoid an all-out altercation. Here’s a clip of the incident:
Butler scored 33 points Sunday compared to only 5 for Smart, but Smart got the last laugh in that his team won 104-95 to even the series 2-2.
