Former Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward Jimmy Butler made his return to Philadelphia Saturday night, where he was greeted with boos from the fans and a thorough beating from his former team.
The Sixers dismantled the Miami Heat, never trailing in a 113-86 win. Josh Richardson, who came to the Sixers in a move that helped facilitate Butler’s move to Miami, tormented his former team, torching the Heat with 32 points on 11-for-15 shooting. Miami trailed 28-13 after the first quarter and never threatened the Sixers.
For his part, Butler seemed unmoved by the night’s events despite posting a lackluster stat line of 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He was also a game worst -31. Still, Butler told reporters after the game that he didn’t hear the boos. He also was asked about a potential playoff matchup with the Sixers and Butler responded “I hope so.”
When asked if he thought the #heat could potentially meet the #sixers In the playoffs Jimmy Butler said “I hope so.”
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) November 24, 2019
It’s not a particularly surprising answer from Butler. Naturally, he’s not going to put an excessive amount of weight on a November NBA game and as a competitor would love the opportunity to get revenge when the stakes are raised.
Still, it’s hard to believe the Heat don’t feel like they’ve seen enough of the Sixers for a while after what transpired Saturday night. At any rate, a playoff matchup between the teams would certainly be interesting. We’ll also get three more opportunities to see these teams play during the regular season, with the next coming on December 18. [lawrence-related id=19957,19949,19941,19933]