Jimmy Butler gets into altercation with Erik Spoelstra, Udonis Haslem during loss to Warriors
The Miami Heat were not happy on Wednesday night.
Things actually got so bad during their 118-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors that Udonis Haslem and coach Erik Spoelstra had to be held back from star Jimmy Butler on the bench during a timeout.
Things got a little heated on the Miami bench during a timeout in the third quarter 😳
(via @NBCSWarriors) pic.twitter.com/d3LtJ1sebh— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) March 24, 2022
A different angle showed Butler talking to Spoelstra, and apparently challenging him to a fight, on the bench during a timeout before Haslem stepped in and started yelling at him.
Warning: The following video contains language that is NSFW
Erik Spoelstra: “What? You think I’m going to fu*king fight you?
Udonis Haslem to Jimmy: “I’ll beat your a*s.”
(h/t @TedBuddy8)
pic.twitter.com/0lfu0xOzI6— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 24, 2022
Haslem was actually so upset about the incident that he remained outside of the huddle during their next timeout, apparently “seething.”
“It was pretty clear. We have a competitive, gnarly group and we were getting our asses kicked for two straight games,” Spoelstra said. “We’re not playing to the level that we wanted to play. Virtually every single person in that huddle was pretty animated about our disappointment in how we were playing.”
P.J. Tucker didn't take the altercation that seriously.
PJ Tucker plays down the argument between Udonis Haslem, Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra, saying it happens in sports.
"I laughed. I walked off the court laughing. Let's play." pic.twitter.com/XUw0x21Ak2— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) March 24, 2022
"I laughed, man. I walked off the court laughing. Come on, let's play," Tucker said. "We're grown men, man. This is a part of the game."
Based on how the third quarter went for Miami, it's easy to see why tensions were high.
The Warriors — who were without Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, Otto Porter Jr. and Klay Thompson — surged ahead in the second half and opened the third on a 19-0 run to claim the 14-point win. Jordan Poole led Golden State with 30 points, and both Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins added 22 points.
Lowry led Miami with 26 points and nine assists, and Bam Adebayo added 25 points and nine rebounds. Butler put up 20 points while shooting 7-of-15 from the field. The Heat have now lost two straight, but still hold a 1.5 game lead in the Eastern Conference.
“You can use moments during a season to catapult you,” Spoelstra said, via NBC6’s Ruthie Polinsky. “You can galvanize together over frustration and disappointment. Teams can also go the other way. I don’t see that with our group.”
Whether that prediction comes true remains to be seen. If his players continue to try and physically fight him during timeouts, though, it may be a quick postseason for the Heat.
