“He knows his calendar meme”: Jimmy Butler serves up playoff warning to rivals has Heat fans hyped

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat took on the New Orleans Pelicans in a highly antiicpated cross-conference matchup on Friday. After taking control in the first, the Heat then let the Pelicans creep back into the game in the second quarter before a closely-contested third. In the fourth quarter, however, things spiraled out of control rather quick.

Kevin Love fouled Zion Williamson on the Pelicans before Naji Marshall and Butler then appeared to get into a bit of a shoving match. The situation escalated when Marshall then grabbed Butler by the throat, prompting the veteran star to retaliate, walking Marshall down while others attempted to hold him back.

While it appeared as though the referees and other players were regaining control over the situation, another scuffle ensued, this time with punches thrown. Heat big-man Thomas Bryant got into it with Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, with the two exchanging punches.

All in all, four players were ejected from the game, however, as Butler headed back to the locker room, he hyped up Heat fans. A series of photos showing him walking off court while interacting with the crowd were posted to the six-time All-Star's Instagram account, which got fans riled up.

Jimmy Butler Instagram comments

Jimmy Butler instagram comments

Jimmy Butler Instagram comments

Jimmy Butler Instagram comments

Jimmy Butler reacts to Miami Heat scuffle with New Orleans Pelicans

While Butler, Marshall, Bryant, and Alvarado were all ejected from the game, the Heat still wound up winning. After the incident, which ocurred early on in the fourth-quarter, the Heat went on to win the game 106-95.

The win tied the Heat for seventh place in the Eastern Conference, along with the Orlando Magic, with both teams holding 31-25 records. With the Eastern Conference playoff race seeing a bunch of players all within a few games of one another, the win can't be understated.

On the flip side, the New Orleans Pelicans currently see themselves sitting in fifth place, at the front of a number of teams who are all within one game of one another. With one more matchup between the teams on the calendar, Butler has no doubt that he and the Heat will pick up another win when they meet in March.

Speaking to media members in the locker room after the game, Butler shared his thoughts on the scuffle. As he explained, he doesn't believe he should have been ejected. In addition, he also expressed confidence ahead of the March 22nd rematch.

"We'll beat them the next time too. We're just a better team. Our team is so ready for anything that anybody's thrown at us. We're so together, playing some incredible basketball. I don't think it matters who we go up against right now. It's that time of the year."

After the scuffle it will be interesting to see if we have a new rivalry on our hands.