Zach Lowe reveals that Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler and former teammate Jae Crowder often had “borderline uncomfortable” trash talk during practices during the Orlando Bubble.
Advertisement
Jimmy Butler is one of the hardest workers in the league currently. The grit and determination Butler plays within second to none. He always plays with a chip on his shoulder, wanting to prove his haters wrong each time he steps on the court. Not only is one of the physically tough players, but Jimmy is also quite a mentally strong player.
Because of this, he is often heard talking a lot of trash to his opponents, getting under their skin and in their heads. Ever since Jimmy Buckets stepped on the hardwood as a 22-year-old, he found different ways to give himself a competitive edge over everyone else.
It was because of this killer mentality, the Miami Heat forward was able to lead his team to an improbable Cinderella run to the NBA Finals last season. Even though Miami fell short to a LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers team, it displayed Jimmy’s incredible leadership skills.
Also Read: Earl Watson reveals how he changed the Suns star’s almost Ben Simmons-like mentality
Trash talk between Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder was “borderline uncomfortable” during practices in the NBA Bubble
Several players stood out during Miami’s 2020 deep playoffs to run. One of the standouts was Jae Crowder. He not only displayed his playoffs experience but also was a great mentor-like figure. In a recent article, ESPN’s Zach Lowe revealed how Butler and Crowder would go at it with each other during their time in Orlando. Lowe wrote about the two Marquette alums:
“Crowder was maybe the only player on Miami’s roster with the courage, bravado, and shared history — from their year together at Marquette — to confront Jimmy Butler when he felt it necessary. A prolonged series of one-on-one games between them was perhaps Miami’s secret defining moment of last season’s bubble run.
“The two had started trash-talking during five-on-five action in practice toward the end of the seeding games. It got heated, and they cleared the court to settle it with a series of one-on-one games that lasted somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour. The player with the ball had to start either on the wing or at the top of the key, and could take only a certain number of dribbles before shooting.
“The trash talk became so profane, and so personal, it was borderline uncomfortable, team sources said. Almost the entire Heat contingent stayed to watch. ‘I’ve been busting your a– since school!’ Butler taunted, according to Crowder. (It got much worse than that.) Everyone loved it — and appreciated Crowder for bringing an edge to practices. (Butler won the final game.)”
Also Read: Skip Bayless feels the 2xMVP is not cut from the same cloth as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird
Usually, a franchise would try and calm things down between their players. However, the Heat knew that this healthy rivalry in practice could translate into success on the court. And as expected by Miami’s front office, thanks to the chemistry amongst all the players, the Heat ended their 2019-2020 campaign as the NBA Runner-Ups.
