Jimmy Butler’s had his say about what he thinks of the Timberwolves, and now the fans have had their chance to let Butler know how they feel.
Butler was introduced before Friday’s Wolves’ home opener against the Cavaliers and the sellout crowd at Target Center let out a chorus of very loud boos for the same man they were giving MVP chants to during last year’s playoff-clinching win over the Nuggets.
Jimmy Butler’s intro in Minnesota pic.twitter.com/zqjiwcRvew
— Bat Flip Sports (@BatFlipSports) October 20, 2018
Jimmy Butler met with boos in Minnesota during intro pic.twitter.com/n2m9y44H1V
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 20, 2018
Despite the boos, Butler played like the All-Star and led the Wolves to a 131-123 win over Kevin Love and the Cavaliers with 33 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau was booed just as loud as Butler, maybe louder.
…and here’s Tom Thibodeau’s intro. pic.twitter.com/e8rJEROvCK
— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) October 20, 2018
Of course, the boos are a result of Butler publicly asking to be traded by the Wolves, which makes the trade Thibodeau made to get Butler last year look really bad.
More game stats:
Andrew Wiggins added 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks, including a big one in the final 30 seconds to stop Love at the rim.
Minnesota hit 33-of-35 free throws in the game, 12 of them from Butler.
