- Jimmy Butler infamously got into it with Udonis Haslem and Erik Spoelstra in a game against the Warriors
- The Heat were getting blown out by an undermanned Warriors squad
- Leaked audio from the altercation has now gone viral
Back in March 2022, we witnessed one of the more infamous sideline altercations in recent NBA history, when Jimmy Butler got into it with Udonis Haslem and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. Tensions boiled over at the time, and leaked audio from then has now gone viral.
LEAKED Audio Of The Jimmy Butler, Udonis Haslem, & Erik Spoelstra Scuffle In 2022👀:
Haslem: “I’ll beat your a**
Butler: “Don’t disrespect me”
Spo: “How am I disrespecting you? Bring your a** where?”
Also, you can see Butler telling PJ Tucker: “He’s coming at me now” pic.twitter.com/Rme56x7T0b
— LegendZ (@legendz_prod) September 30, 2023
NBA fans reacted to the clip.
One felt this probably happens at every single Heat practice.
They probably do that ever single practice lol
— G (@SportakesX) September 30, 2023
A Heat fan stated this was just another day at the office.
Just a normal Tuesday for the Heat
— Heat Diehards (@HeatDiehards) September 30, 2023
One thinks Damian Lillard dodged a bullet by not going to Miami.
https://twitter.com/blakbleach/status/1708293019567317133
A fan likes the passion shown here.
https://twitter.com/asvploppy/status/1708251659678495202
One commended Spoelstra for not backing down.
https://twitter.com/lachiepatersonn/status/1708288002236239887
The Heat were getting blown out back then by a Golden State Warriors team without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Just a couple of nights prior to that, they had also lost to the Philadelphia 76ers who were without Joel Embiid and James Harden, so frustrations would have been at an all-time high.
“Heat Culture” is all about holding everyone accountable and Haslem felt Butler stepped out of line when arguing with Spoelstra. It’s never a good look when physical violence is threatened, but nothing happened, of course.
Butler, Haslem, And Spoelstra Spoke About The Altercation
Even without the leaked audio, this was a pretty big deal back then, but the Heat played it down. After the game, Spoelstra stated his altercation with Butler was a result of a competitive and gnarly group getting blown out in the game. They were not playing at the level they expected of themselves, and everyone was disappointed.
A few days later, Butler spoke about getting into it with Spoelstra and Haslem. He stated that everything was not going to be all good or all bad and that they had moved on.
Haslem would open up on the sideline altercation with Butler a while later, and he said they are both very similar. They play with a controlled rage and it just so happened that, at that time, it got a bit uncontrolled.
The Heat Managed To Put This Behind Them
The loss to the Warriors made it back-to-back defeats, and things did not get better immediately. In fact, the Heat lost their next two as well, and it seemed like their season was at risk of getting derailed.
They steadied the ship after that, though, winning five in a row, after which they rested their stars for the final game of the regular season. It meant the Heat finished with a 53-29 record and entered the playoffs as the top seed in the East.
They dispatched the Atlanta Hawks in the first round in five games and then beat the 76ers in six games in the Conference Semifinals. It set up a titanic clash with the Boston Celtics, and they just narrowly lost the series in seven games.
The altercation clearly didn’t have too much of a negative impact, and some might argue it actually pulled the group together. There was talk at the time about Butler potentially wanting to leave Miami because of the incident, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Instead of leaving, Butler took the Heat to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons in 2022-23.
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