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Ohm Youngmisuk
Atlanta – Jimmy Butler said his highly anticipated return to Miami to face his former Heat team will be only “another game” for him on Tuesday.
After the Golden State Warriors left a disappointing defeat of 124-115 against the Atlanta Hawks without an injured Stephen Curry (pelvic contusion) on Saturday night, Butler said that his return to Miami will not be different from his first game against former teams such as Chicago, Philadelphia and Minnesota.
Butler was changed from Miami to Golden State before the business deadline last month after a tumultuous break with heat.
“Yes, they changed me from there, Yada, Yada, Yada,” Butler said after finishing 25 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds in the defeat against Atlanta. “Yes, the way people wanted, Yada Yada Yada did not end.
“But that is far from me now. I don’t even think about it. I don’t pay attention to anything except the trajectory of this squad.”
Despite the reverse in Atlanta, the Warriors (41-30) have 16-4 from Butler’s debut on February 8.
Meanwhile, the heat is on a slide of 10 games for the first time since 2008. Miami has only 4-17 since the butler’s trade became official on February 7. During that period, Miami has been surpassed by 125 points in the fourth quarter, the worst of the NBA from the NBA since February 6, according to ESPN Research’s investigation.
This will also be the first time that Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson, two warriors who were sent to Miami in the exchange of five teams that involve Butler, will face their former team.
“We have Jimmy around here, I know this is a great game for him,” said Draymond Green, the Warriors Power striker. “They got Wiggs there. I know it’s a great game for him. We want to win for Jimmy, they will want to win for Wiggs. We have to get ready to play.”
Butler, who helped the Heat to reach two NBA finals during his five and a half seasons, praised Miami fans for their support, but said he is not curious about the reaction he will receive.
“Not really, don’t make any difference,” Butler said. “I am a member of the Golden State Warriors. I love that fan base. They showed me a lot of love while I was there. But I am there to win now. I am in the opposite team.”
When asked how he would characterize his time in Miami, Butler said he did not achieve the ultimate goal of winning a title.
“We were fine,” Butler said. “We didn’t win anything as we were supposed to do. So I don’t know. We made some great races. We had a little fun. I think that’s all we did.”
Meanwhile, Curry is expected to be reevaluated on Monday. And although coach Steve Kerr said he expects Curry to join the team at some point in this six -game swing, Butler is more focused on having to find a way to win in Miami without him.
“Another game for me, another game that is expected to win safely,” Butler said after expressing the disappointment of losing to the Hawks. “So we had to solve it very fast [without Curry]”
