Jimmy Butler’s Heat chapter closed long before Warriors’ lifeless loss – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

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MIAMI – Boos and cheers alike met Jimmy Butler in his return to the Kaseya Center on Tuesday night. 

A mixture of both as a Miami Heat tribute video honoring Butler played during pregame introductions. Boos whenever Butler touched the ball once the game began, and cheers whenever he missed a shot or made a mistake. The loudest cheer of all regarding Butler was a play involving Andrew Wiggins, the main player the Warriors traded to the Heat to acquire Butler on Feb. 5. 

With the Warriors beginning the game uninspired and again having to swim upstream like their previous game against the Atlanta Hawks, Butler had his best chance of getting his new team going in what looked like a wide-open fastbreak. That didn’t stop Wiggins, who chased down Butler and blocked his dunk attempt, keeping the ball inbounds as it wound up going to the Heat. 

Heat fans loved seeing Andrew Wiggins block Jimmy Butler pic.twitter.com/0OhiHgFitN

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) March 25, 2025

That’s the kind of night Butler and the Warriors endured in a 112-86 loss against the Heat.

Did boos outnumber cheers? Yes, undoubtedly. Did the arena ever feel hostile or over the top? 

Not once.

“Miami is a great place to live, and some people don’t ever seem too amped up around here,” coach Steve Kerr said. “They’re living the good life. It really wasn’t that rabid of an environment. It was typical Miami.” 

Butler sat alone at the end of the bench as the pregame tribute video played, looking up to watch but showing little, if any, emotion. Iconic moments from his tenure that lasted over five seasons were remembered fondly as they should be. He sipped his cup, put his Chapstick on, waved to the crowd for a second, and then it was time to play the game.

Jimmy Butler watching the Heat’s tribute video for him ❤ pic.twitter.com/1lXfL6HphN

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 26, 2025

Throughout the week and days leading up to Butler’s return, he maintained the message that Tuesday night wasn’t any different than the Warriors’ previous 71 games. Just another Tuesday night, in his…

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Publish date : 2025-03-25 21:58:00

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