Jimmy Butler was absent from the Miami Heat’s rotation during Game 5 of the Round 1 series against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2022 Playoffs. But Butler was there to support his team from the sidelines and his presence certainly served as a morale booster for the entire team.
Thankfully, the Heat closed out the series in Game 5 and now head to the second round of the playoffs, where they will face off against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Today, our focus is not on the upcoming series, but on something that Jimmy did during Game 5. It’s a well-known fact that Butler and the entire Miami Heat organization are very passionate about the game of basketball.
Moreover, they are not shy in expressing their passion in various forms. Jimmy did so during Game 5 where he humped the air. At the time, fans loved seeing Butler being so passionate and celebrating a play.
THE STRUS
IS LOOSE
IN MIAMI
LOOOOUUUUUUUDDDDD NOOIISSSSES pic.twitter.com/GPW04ZP1KQ
— FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (@FanDuelSN_FL) April 27, 2022
But the after-effects of that obscene gesture by Butler resulted in the Heat superstar getting fined $15K by the NBA. On top of that, the Heat franchise was also fined the same amount as they made a GIF out of the clip and posted it on their official Twitter account.
The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/P8k09FAzA4
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 28, 2022
These were not the only fines dished out by the league after the game. Heat forward Markieff Morris was also fined $25K for interfering with the live game in play from the bench.
Via NBA:
“Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris has been fined $25,000 for interfering with live game play while on the bench, in violation of league rules, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.
Morris, who was not in the game at the time, grabbed and held Atlanta Hawks guard De’Andre Hunter out of bounds, which prevented Hunter from completely reestablishing himself inbounds as he caught a pass from a teammate. Morris received an unsportsmanlike technical foul for his actions. The incident occurred with 7:06 remaining in the third quarter in Miami’s 97-94 win over the Hawks in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on April 26 at FTX Arena.”
Despite the raining fines on the Heat, the franchise wouldn’t mind that much. After all, they still qualified for the second round of the 2022 Playoffs.
But they need to make sure that they contain their emotions a bit better in the next series as they will be facing one of the best teams in the East in the Philadelphia 76ers. Speaking of that fixture, 76ers head coach Doc Rivers shared his views on the series.
It will be an exciting series for the fans and we are sure they can’t wait for it to start as soon as possible.
