Pat Riley Blasts Jimmy Butler's Playoff Comments

Miami Heat president Pat Riley strongly criticized Jimmy Butler's recent comments about where the team would be if Butler had been able to play in the playoffs, saying he should "keep his mouth shut" if he's not on the court.

Jimmy Butler's recent comments about the Miami Heat's playoff performance have drawn the ire of his team president, Pat Riley.

In a video that circulated on social media, Butler said that the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks would be "at home" if he were playing, implying that his presence on the court would have prevented the Heat from losing in the first round.

Riley, who spoke to the media on Monday, was not impressed with Butler's comments.

"For him to say that, I thought is that Jimmy trolling, or is that Jimmy serious?" Riley said. "If you’re not on the court playing against Boston, if you’re not on the court playing against the New York Knicks you should keep your mouth shut and your criticism of those teams."

Riley's message was clear: the Heat are not playing in the playoffs anymore, while the Celtics and Knicks have both advanced to the second round.

"Who?" Thibodeau said on Sunday. "I don’t know him. But I’ll beat him to a pulp."

Riley also has a strong connection to the Knicks, having been their head coach from 1991-95 before he joined the Heat. Riley led the Knicks to the NBA Finals during the 1993-94 campaign when the team went 57-25.

Riley’s Heat made a Finals run last season, shocking everyone as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and continued to wipe the Eastern Conference competition before losing to the Denver Nuggets in the final series of the season. Butler was a key piece in making that happen.

But Riley doesn’t want to hear hypotheticals from Butler, whether he was "trolling" or not. The two teams he mentioned still have a chance to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy, while the Heat are already looking ahead to the 2024-25 season.