Heat president Pat Riley tells Jimmy Butler to ‘keep your mouth shut’ after Miami star’s controversial NBA Playoffs comment

MIAMI Heat team president Pat Riley was unhappy with Jimmy Butler’s recent comments regarding the NBA Playoffs.

Heat star Butler claimed the eliminated Miami team would have knocked out the Boston Celtics or New York Knicks in the NBA playoffs if he had been healthy.

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Butler did not appear in the Heat-Celtics series due to an MCL injury he suffered in Miami’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Heat lost to Boston in five games.

Over the weekend, Butler shared commentary about the NBA Playoffs.

“If I was playing, Boston would be home, New York would definitely be home. Josh Hart? Come on, man,” the six-time NBA All-Star said in a social media video.

Butler’s comments reached Riley, who participated in a press conference on Monday.

“For him to say that, I thought, is Jimmy trolling or is Jimmy [being] Really?” Riley asked, via WPLG Local 10 Sports.

“If you’re not on the court playing against Boston, or you’re not on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut when criticizing these teams.”

Riley had initially said that Butler, who still has one year left on his contract, would not be traded during the offseason.

But Riley, 79, has apparently changed his stance on the issue.

“There is a possibility that a lot of things are at stake,” Riley said, by Will Manso of Bally Sports.

The Heat reached the NBA Finals last season but lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games.

This season, Miami advanced past the play-in tournament for the second year in a row, but failed to bounce back after losing three times to the Celtics by 20 points or more in the first-round series.

During Monday’s press conference, Riley was asked if the 34-year-old Butler can still be among the best players in the NBA.

“Yes. But just like anyone else, he may need to make some changes to his overload routine,” Riley said.

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Butler missed 22 games during the regular season.

He averaged 20.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

The Celtics will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in their second-round playoff series on Tuesday.

The New York Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers in their respective series on Monday.

The Knicks have already beaten the 76ers in six games in their first-round series.