Celtics’ Grant Williams Says He ‘Did Poke a Bear’ After Jimmy Butler Clash vs. Heat

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The Boston Celtics were in full control of Friday’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a 96-87 lead with fewer than seven minutes remaining.

And then Grant Williams went forehead-to-forehead with Jimmy Butler before the Miami Heat finished the game on a 24-9 run.

Whoops.

Miami is now up 2-0 following the 111-105 win, and Williams was a major talking point after the latest contest. It seemed like he motivated the Heat star, and Butler and the rest of the visitors took over until the final buzzer.

“He said something and I responded,” Williams told reporters while also saying there was an element of respect involved:

“For me, it’s just a matter of understanding that, yeah, sure, you did poke a bear, quote unquote,” he said. “And how are you going to respond? Because, for me, he made some tough shots and battled. I’m going to keep battling. He’s going to have to make every single tough shot the rest of the series.”

Boston dropped each of the first two games on its home court and now has to find a way to win one of the next two in Miami just to avoid a sweep and earn another home contest.

“We have a real decision to make,” Williams said. “Are we going to come out and set a tone, or are we going to lay down?”

Lay down is exactly what the Celtics did in crunch time of Friday’s game. Now their backs are against the wall thanks in large part to Butler’s dominance after one of their role players challenged him.