The Miami Heat finished the regular season with a 53-29 record enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, however, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon believes the famed “culture” that got the team to this point, will also be their downfall.
Vardon first mentions on Tuesday, April 12, the aftermath of the Nikola Jokic/Markieff incident back in November, during which multiple players were pictured by the locker room door, seemingly preparing for a brawl against the Denver Nuggets.
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“One can understand the Heat’s collective anger in the moment, the players’ natural desire to seek revenge,” Vardon surmised. “But what if [general manager Andy] Elisburg had not been standing there? What if the Heat had reached their target, making it to the Nuggets’ locker room? Careers may have been impacted, to say nothing of Miami’s season.”
Vardon then mentions a more recent incident, the sideline spat between Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra and star Jimmy Butler. “Again, had tempers flared just a little more, had an extra word been said or another step taken, the ugliness of the moment could have swallowed the entire franchise.”
“These are not words typically written of a team that finishes first in the Eastern Conference,” Vardon wrote. “But they are nonetheless true of the 2021-22 Heat… To have made it this far, the Heat have shown themselves to not only be very good — maybe championship good — but also tough. The question is how much more can this franchise take?”
About a week ago, Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler had a fight and went on a 4 game losing streak. Everyone talked about it.
Since then the Heat have won 5 in a row and basically secured the 1 seed. Nobody talks about it… most slept on team in the league? 👀
While choosing violence should never be the answer, fights are a part of Heat culture. Team president Pat Riley actually prefers fiery battles over lackluster indifference. Also, Miami immediately went on a winning streak following the Butler/Spoelstra incident.
The Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed hasn’t reached the NBA Finals since 2017.
Can the Heat change that?
The consequences could be significant.
@joevardon has more: t.co/M9wCi390Mp
Lastly, Vardon goes on to include a report that rival players and executives think Butler will seek out a trade if the Heat suffer another early-round exit in the playoffs, a report that even The Athletic’s senior NBA writer calls “bonkers”:
When Spoelstra’s clipboard hit the floor in Butler’s wake, rival executives and even players on other teams noticed. They began to speculate that in the event of an early playoff exit, the Heat could look to move on from Butler, which is bonkers to even consider, given the three-year, $146 million contract extension they signed him to last summer. Rival players speculated that Butler, worn down by the demands of Heat culture,’ could seek a trade if it doesn’t work out this spring.
No Reports Have Surfaced From Butler’s Camp or From Inside the Heat About Him Even Musing Over a Trade
While outsiders can think what they want, the fact is that there have been zero reports coming from inside Butler’s camp or the Heat franchise about the 32-year-old even thinking about an exit from Miami.
There’s also the fact that the six-time All-Star recruited his best friend, point guard Kyle Lowry, away from the Toronto Raptors to be his teammate. Lowry signed a three-year, $90 million contract to play alongside Butler, and it seems unlikely Butler will go anywhere until they win a championship together in Miami.
Spoelstra Remains Fully Committed to Butler
GettyJimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat talks with head coach Erik Spoelstra against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at FTX Arena on January 23, 2022.
While outside executives and players can continue to muse about the March 25 spat, the only thing on Coach Spo and Butler’s minds is the upcoming playoffs. Miami’s opponent will be decided based on the results of the play-in tournament. The Heat will take on whichever team clinches the eighth seed on Sunday, April 17.
Spoelstra told Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang that their most-recent conversations are “talking about ways we can maximize him better, the offense better, the team better and then we also have to have those conversations with everybody.”
“The Heat needs its best player to be at his best in the playoffs, and the hope is the recent changes will help set Butler and the team up for postseason success,” Spoelstra said.
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‘Rivals’ Think Jimmy Butler Will Seek Trade If Playoffs Go Bust: Report