New Orleans Pelicans 1 – 1 Miami Heat.
That’s the score in the season series, but the Pelicans might still have bragging rights over their Eastern Conference foes.
Earlier in the season, Heat star Jimmy Butler stated that they would win their rematch because they were ‘just a better team.’
That came on the heels of a scuffle that saw three players getting ejected during a Heat win in New Orleans.
Butler couldn’t back up those claims, though, as the Pelicans stormed right back to get a huge 111-88 win in the rematch in South Florida.
Nevertheless, Butler won’t back down from his comments.
As a matter of fact, he even doubled down on them, stating that the Heat are still the better team (via Ira Winderman and Five Reasons Sports).
“They came in here and stole one. I’m gonna stick by what I said, we are still the better team,” Butler said.
Jimmy Butler: “they came in here and stole one. I’m gonna stick by what I said, we are still the better team.” (Question from @IraHeatBeat) pic.twitter.com/P57dtW8Egv
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) March 23, 2024
That doesn’t show in the standings, either.
The Pelicans are 43-27, while the Heat are 38-32.
Also, they won this game despite Zion Williamson logging just four points and Brandon Ingram sitting out.
Still, the Heat were without Josh Richardson, Tyler Herro, Kevin Love, and Duncan Robinson.
It’s more than evident that Willie Green’s team kept receipts and was looking forward to this game, and rightly so.
Even so, people will continue to overlook the Pelicans until they finally take a leap forward in the playoffs.
On the flip side, no one wants to meet Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat in the postseason, as they’ve proven to be significantly more dangerous in a seven-game series than during the regular season, especially Jimmy Butler.
Unfortunately, their chances of crossing paths in the NBA Finals are pretty slim right now.
NEXT: Fans React To Bam Adebayo’s Thrilling Game-Winning 3