Heat, Butler moving past rough week: ‘We put together this roster to win a championship’
Last week was uncomfortable for the Miami Heat because it highlighted some of its flaws.
But it also provided the Heat an opportunity to address some issues, as it dropped four straight games at this late stage in the season.
“I think we got comfortable a little bit, expecting that we’re going to win night in and night out,” star Jimmy Butler said after the Heat snapped its season-long four-game losing skid with a blowout home win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. “Everything is not going to be all good, everything is not going to be all bad. We understand that. I just think at the end of the day, we got to be in it together, which we are. We’re going to continue to be that way, win or lose.”
As for last week’s sideline incident that included team captain Udonis Haslem and coach Erik Spoelstra verbally confronting Butler during a timeout, Butler said “things happen.”
“We move on from it like we have,” said Butler, with the Heat beginning a three-game trip on Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
The Heat’s matchup against the Celtics is an important one. The Heat entered Tuesday at the top of the Eastern Conference, and just one game ahead of the second-place Philadelphia 76ers, third-place Milwaukee Bucks and fourth-place Celtics.
The 76ers and Bucks face off in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, which will move the winner within one-half game of the Heat and drop the loser 1.5 games behind the Heat by Wednesday morning.
“I feel like we put together this roster to win a championship,” Butler continued. “It feels like a championship caliber team, it does. We have lapses at times. We got a couple more days, games to figure that all out. But when we’re clicking, when we’re guarding, when we’re making shots, when we’re sharing the ball, then we’re going to be really tough to beat.”
The Heat has just six games left on its regular-season schedule, and the start of the playoffs is less than three weeks away.
“To be honest with you, it felt like it was a big thing because it was and it is,” forward Duncan Robinson said of the Heat’s losing skid that came to an end on Monday. “We got to figure it out, especially this time of the year. The sense of urgency was high, guys want to win. Everybody in that locker room wants to win. That’s the one commonality. It was a big thing, for sure. But at the same, just learn from it and move forward.”
‘BASKETBALL JUNKIE’
Just one day after the Miami Hurricanes were eliminated in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in Chicago, Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga was at FTX Arena to watch the Heat defeat the Kings on Monday.
“What an absolute basketball junkie. I love him,” Spoelstra said of Larrañaga. “I absolutely love him. Not to go on vacation, not to think about anything else, go on a recruiting trip or anything. But to enjoy a basketball game. That’s a guy I can relate to.
“I like coach L. I wish I could spend more time with him. We have spent some time with these chalk talks and everything. But if I was a young player or an older transfer player, I would like playing in that program. They have a lot of fun and they do it the right way.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat listed Caleb Martin (right calf contusion), Robinson (non-COVID illness) and Gabe Vincent (right big toe contusion) as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Celtics.
The only Heat players ruled out are Mychal Mulder and Javonte Smart, who are both in the G League as part of their two-way contracts.
If Martin, Robinson and Vincent are able to play on Wednesday, it would mark the first time this season that the Heat has had its entire 15-man roster available for a game.
The Celtics will be without starting center Robert Williams (left knee meniscal tear), Jaylen Brown (right knee tendinopathy) and Jayson Tatum (right patella tendinopathy) are both listed as probable to play against the Heat.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 5:40 PM.
