Jimmy Butler says Marcus Smart 'not about that life' after game 4 scuffle

[robbie84]

Two of the baddest 'tough guys' in the NBA...
Pretty physical at times between them but it's fun to watch...
Anyone else enjoying the Celtics and Bulls physicality?

The Celtics guards are very solid and Jimmy hasn't had the easiest time in this series...Much harder for JB when his supporting cast is simply awful.
45.7% is league average FG% this year; (Butler is at 40% for the series)
35.8% is league average3Pfg% this year. (Butler is at 23.5% for the series)

Do Marcus and JB actually hate each other? Did anyone watching the CSN Boston feed hear Scalabrine say that he knows them both personally and then suggest that there was no love lost between the two?


“He’s a great actor, acting tough, that’s what he does — but I don’t think he’s about that,” Butler said. “And I’m the wrong guy to get in my face. So he needs to take it somewhere else because I’m not the one for that.”

Read on Twitter

[tweet]

Read on Twitter

[/tweet]

[Gus McCrae]

#teamJB

[lilswift01]

I'm with Jimmy Butler, Smart is always trying to deceive the refs.

[Celts17Pride]

Boo Hoo!!

[Aventador]

smart not so smart

[oikosnomos]

All I know is Butler wouldn't even back down from Nene, so I don't see Smart intimidating him.

[binjumper]

Smart is one the fakest tough guys ever. Never seen a fish play basketball with the way he flops.

[Meliorus]

A guy who flops as frequently and blatantly as Smart cannot be taken seriously as a "tough guy".

[hongdayuan]

Smart does sth similar to lebron. U simply can't be flexing and then flop hard on the next play. Getting no respect from anybody when they do that.

[MartinToVaught]

Smart has been a fake tough guy since college. He's only "tough" when he's picking on people weaker than him, like the elderly Texas Tech fan that he shoved during a game. But during the actual games, he's soft as Charmin and a huge flopper.

[RSCD3_]

Stealing this comment from reddit, its from a piece on marcus' childhood.

I wonder if Jimmy knows Marcus's childhood. They both grew up in Texas. Jimmy had to deal with being homeless I believe. Marcus had to deal with being shot at and one of his brothers dying of cancer and a couple other relatives dying from gun violence.
Huge props to both of them for getting this far.
Marcus's story, in case people care.
Eight years ago, Marcus prayed: “Just please get me out of this.”
He prayed as he sprinted through the complex’s parking lot while a Bloods gang member gave chase, pulled a gun, and started firing.
He prayed as he zig-zagged between cars while seven bullets whizzed by. He prayed as he ran harder and faster than he ever will, knowing that this could be it.
Today, Marcus calls that moment the lowest point in a life racked by tragedy, with so many family members and friends dying from everything but old age — a toll so steep it does not seem real.
One relative dropped a loaded shotgun during a children’s game of cowboys and Indians in this town many years ago. It discharged straight into the heart of another relative, who was 5.
Another relative was found shot to death one morning in a front yard in Tyler, Texas. He was 16.
A train struck one of Marcus’s ex-Amateur Athletic Union teammates four years ago in rural Oklahoma. He was 17.
Then there was Todd Westbrook, Marcus’s oldest half-brother, who died at 33 from cancer.
The deaths came in rapid order.

Also about him being rough when he was younger

Marcus would get in three fights per week. He looked for any weapons he could find. He would throw knives and branches at people. He recalls nearly breaking a kid's neck. He says he felt like he could have killed someone.
On one occasion, he and a friend were jumped and outnumbered by guys. Marcus pulled out a pocketknife. They pulled out a pellet gun. Marcus went home and got his dad's .22 caliber pistol. Michael stopped him at the door before Marcus had the chance to hunt down the kids.
The fights escalated. He slammed another kid's head into the concrete. At one point, the principal called him into his office and told him he was to go to alternative school for 30 days.
"It was like jail," Marcus says. "Good behavior and you can get out early."

His flopping is a strategy, ron artest has flopped before but I doubt anyone wants to get in his grill. Smart's reputation is based on his flopping from the jump so people think he's soft but he hasnt had a sugar coated life

[the sea duck]

When the Bulls get eliminated, maybe Jimmy Butler can do studio work to analyze who are the real tough guys and who are the fake tough guys throughout the rests of the playoffs.

[robbie84]

Stealing this comment from reddit, its from a piece on marcus' childhood.

I wonder if Jimmy knows Marcus's childhood. They both grew up in Texas. Jimmy had to deal with being homeless I believe. Marcus had to deal with being shot at and one of his brothers dying of cancer and a couple other relatives dying from gun violence.
Huge props to both of them for getting this far.
Marcus's story, in case people care.
Eight years ago, Marcus prayed: “Just please get me out of this.”
He prayed as he sprinted through the complex’s parking lot while a Bloods gang member gave chase, pulled a gun, and started firing.
He prayed as he zig-zagged between cars while seven bullets whizzed by. He prayed as he ran harder and faster than he ever will, knowing that this could be it.
Today, Marcus calls that moment the lowest point in a life racked by tragedy, with so many family members and friends dying from everything but old age — a toll so steep it does not seem real.
One relative dropped a loaded shotgun during a children’s game of cowboys and Indians in this town many years ago. It discharged straight into the heart of another relative, who was 5.
Another relative was found shot to death one morning in a front yard in Tyler, Texas. He was 16.
A train struck one of Marcus’s ex-Amateur Athletic Union teammates four years ago in rural Oklahoma. He was 17.
Then there was Todd Westbrook, Marcus’s oldest half-brother, who died at 33 from cancer.
The deaths came in rapid order.

Also about him being rough when he was younger

Marcus would get in three fights per week. He looked for any weapons he could find. He would throw knives and branches at people. He recalls nearly breaking a kid's neck. He says he felt like he could have killed someone.
On one occasion, he and a friend were jumped and outnumbered by guys. Marcus pulled out a pocketknife. They pulled out a pellet gun. Marcus went home and got his dad's .22 caliber pistol. Michael stopped him at the door before Marcus had the chance to hunt down the kids.
The fights escalated. He slammed another kid's head into the concrete. At one point, the principal called him into his office and told him he was to go to alternative school for 30 days.
"It was like jail," Marcus says. "Good behavior and you can get out early."

His flopping is a strategy, ron artest has flopped before but I doubt anyone wants to get in his grill. Smart's reputation is based on his flopping from the jump so people think he's soft but he hasnt had a sugar coated life

He arguably plays harder than anyone else in the league. The guy just decides he's going to take over defensively and his defense can take over games and for multiple runs at crucial stages.
He's one of the most competitive defenders I've seen. He's like Gary Payton, Bruce Bowen level of macho on defense.

Anyway I love both Smart and Butler, although Butler ain't bout' that Marcus Smart life.

[Xherdan 23]

Butler should probably calm down, he's much more important to the Bulls than Smart is to Boston.
If they get into a fight and both are suspended the Bulls don't stand a chance.

[Bologna Smasher]

Neither of those dudes are about that life. You think either of them have ever taken a jackknife power bomb through a table? I don't think so.

[TheOGJabroni]

Stealing this comment from reddit, its from a piece on marcus' childhood.

I wonder if Jimmy knows Marcus's childhood. They both grew up in Texas. Jimmy had to deal with being homeless I believe. Marcus had to deal with being shot at and one of his brothers dying of cancer and a couple other relatives dying from gun violence.
Huge props to both of them for getting this far.
Marcus's story, in case people care.
Eight years ago, Marcus prayed: “Just please get me out of this.”
He prayed as he sprinted through the complex’s parking lot while a Bloods gang member gave chase, pulled a gun, and started firing.
He prayed as he zig-zagged between cars while seven bullets whizzed by. He prayed as he ran harder and faster than he ever will, knowing that this could be it.
Today, Marcus calls that moment the lowest point in a life racked by tragedy, with so many family members and friends dying from everything but old age — a toll so steep it does not seem real.
One relative dropped a loaded shotgun during a children’s game of cowboys and Indians in this town many years ago. It discharged straight into the heart of another relative, who was 5.
Another relative was found shot to death one morning in a front yard in Tyler, Texas. He was 16.
A train struck one of Marcus’s ex-Amateur Athletic Union teammates four years ago in rural Oklahoma. He was 17.
Then there was Todd Westbrook, Marcus’s oldest half-brother, who died at 33 from cancer.
The deaths came in rapid order.

Also about him being rough when he was younger

Marcus would get in three fights per week. He looked for any weapons he could find. He would throw knives and branches at people. He recalls nearly breaking a kid's neck. He says he felt like he could have killed someone.
On one occasion, he and a friend were jumped and outnumbered by guys. Marcus pulled out a pocketknife. They pulled out a pellet gun. Marcus went home and got his dad's .22 caliber pistol. Michael stopped him at the door before Marcus had the chance to hunt down the kids.
The fights escalated. He slammed another kid's head into the concrete. At one point, the principal called him into his office and told him he was to go to alternative school for 30 days.
"It was like jail," Marcus says. "Good behavior and you can get out early."

His flopping is a strategy, ron artest has flopped before but I doubt anyone wants to get in his grill. Smart's reputation is based on his flopping from the jump so people think he's soft but he hasnt had a sugar coated life

This whole tough guy/fake tough guy stuff is just stupid. Both had terrible upbringings and should be happy they "made it out" rather than going the Aaron Hernandez way of life.

I'm a big Jimmy fan but he seems a bit hypocritical here; Smart was just standing his ground in that scenario. Smart can be a nuisance though, so I get that aggravation. Both need to just play ball.

[HotelVitale]

The Celtics guards are very solid and Jimmy hasn't had the easiest time in this series...
45.7% is league average FG% this year; (Butler is at 40% for the series)
35.8% is league average3Pfg% this year. (Butler is at 23.5% for the series)

I agree that Smart and Bradley have been making it harder than usual but he's also getting to the line 10+ times per game and averaging 25/7/5. It's not like they've shut him down, or even limited him that much. Numbers are better than RS (and he's also got those two Ws in his pocket).

[robbie84]

In all seriousness, I think Smart is a human hulk. He looks like the Hulk. Have never seen anyone with stronger hands on defense re ripping the ball out of opponents hands and swatting anything he gets his hands on. Not the quickest player but incredible anticipatory senses.

I think he would eat Jimmy alive but Jimmy would still fight regardless. Both hard MF's.

Read on Twitter

[robbie84]

The Celtics guards are very solid and Jimmy hasn't had the easiest time in this series...
45.7% is league average FG% this year; (Butler is at 40% for the series)
35.8% is league average3Pfg% this year. (Butler is at 23.5% for the series)

I agree that Smart and Bradley have been making it harder than usual but he's also getting to the line 10+ times per game and averaging 25/7/5. It's not like they've shut him down, or even limited him that much. Numbers are better than RS (and he's also got those two Ws in his pocket).

Yeah I mean they're making him work for it with physical play. If he thinks about going to the basket there's going to be contact.
That would be pissing Butler off a lot because they are the most physical threesome in the NBA on the perimeter (Smart, Bradley, Crowder). Butler is just that much smaller than Lebron that they can compete on a level playing field with him (Smart and Crowder moreso).
Our problem will be not being able to stop Lebron if we somehow made it to the ECF. We have no answer other than Crowder and Smart.
This is why so many of us probably care more about what potentially happens on draft night than this playoff run- because we probably can't stop Lebron with the Finals in his sights without adding someone like Butler, PG or Hayward who can put pressure on him on the other end whilst defending him toughly.

[beeshake]

All credit to Marcus Smart for fighting through so much tribulations to make it to the NBA.

Though it doesn't let him off the hook for playing some of the cheapest defence. Its the equivalent to all the offensive players who play for the Free throw shot, rather than the basket.

And Jimmy Butler is just basing his statement from what he sees of Marcus smart on the court, trying to compensate his style of play by bringing up his childhood is to me, a little uncalled for. Marcus smart exaggerates his defence for the refs, that's a niche that is working for him, and he should keep doing it, but don't expect to get called anything but an actor by the opposing team.