Old habits die hard! Jimmy Butler and Chris Paul dialed back the clock to the NBA bubble after their latest scuffle in the preseason. There’s no doubt that these veterans are very competitive on the floor. And, when they both lock horns, it’s quite difficult to separate. Tonight, the duo had a tense moment during the first half of the preseason game between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat. Instantly, it triggered a sense of déjà vu in the NBA world.

During the second quarter, CP3 guarded the Heat forward, Nikola Jovic in a mismatch and pushed him down on the play. In the very next play, when the Spurs veteran drove the ball to the offense, 6 ‘7 tall Jimmy Butler barged in to shove down the 175lbs veteran guard, seemingly as a response to his action against Jovic. Right after the shove, the duo was seen exchanging some words. And from the looks of it, it didn’t seem pleasant. At the end of it, Butler gestured at the crowd to pay attention to Paul.

Some may wonder, why would Jimmy Butler have a beef with Chris Paul in a preseason game. Throwback time. It was a time when the Point God represented OKC Thunder for a single season in the NBA bubble. Paul had thrown the ball aggressively at Heat’s Duncan Robinson from the baseline to get it out of bounds.

Jimmy Butler, who witnessed all of it, stood up for his then-teammate in the next play. Jimmy Buckets drove up the lane as Chris Paul guarded him and, boom, the Heat forward aggressively pushed him down, and drew an offensive foul.

Many hoops fans may not agree with Butler’s reaction, while some might feel it’s a bit much for a preseason game. However, Coach Eric Spoelstra doesn’t feel that way.

Coach Spoelstra welcomes Jimmy Butler’s antics!

Jimmy Butler made it clear this season that he means only business. Starting from his look for Media Day. The veteran forward is known for pulling up for photoshoots with his funky hair-dos. This time, Butler came in with his regular hairstyle, setting up the tone for the season. Moreover, in an interview, he stressed how important the upcoming season is, considering his future in the franchise.

The star said, “Guess I got to hoop, got to prove that I am a major part of winning, and rightfully so. I’ve done it before and this is no different. This is going to be a great year for myself.” And we had a glimpse of it in tonight’s preseason game. Moreover, the team’s coach welcomed Butler’s energy.

During the post-game press conference, when a reporter asked about the CP3-Butler incident, Spoelstra said, “We’re the Heat…so we like all those kind of emotions, even if it is the preseason.” Above all, the 6x All-Star seemed to love the competition. And as a reflection of it, he shared a picture of him chirping at Chris Paul from tonight’s game on his Instagram story. No one can ask for a perfect lead-up to the regular season! What do you expect from the upcoming season, in terms of player rivalries? Let us know.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.