Erik Spoelstra Jokes About Altercation on Heat Bench

The Heat entered Wednesday’s game against the Warriors having lost three of their past six games, which qualifies as a cold spell for the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed. Trailing at home against a Golden State squad missing Stephen Curry, tempers boiled over between coach Erik Spoelstra and guard Jimmy Butler—though Spoelstra’s version of events afterward suggested the incident was water under the bridge.

“Everybody was wondering where the dinner plans were tonight after the game,” Spoelstra joked when asked about what happened during the altercation. “It was pretty clear. We have a very competitive, gnarly group and we were getting our asses kicked. Two straight games, we’re not playing to the level we want to play, and I would say virtually every single person in that huddle was pretty animated about our disappointment in how we were playing.”

Spoelstra and Butler got into an argument during the team’s huddle and needed to be separated by Udonis Haslem and Dewayne Dedmon. Spoelstra even tossed his clipboard onto the court and continued sparring with Butler as the team made its way onto the floor.

Video taken from bench shows Spoelstra appearing to ask Butler, “What, do you think I’m gonna f------ fight you?” Haslem then intervenes and gets into Butler’s face as the rest of the team breaks up the confrontation.

Afterward, Miami guards P.J. Tucker and Kyle Lowry each struck a similar tone as Spoelstra and downplayed the issue. Said Lowry: “Frustration builds sometimes. I think it’s a situation where it’s good to get it out of the way and move forward.”

The Heat will return to action Friday at home to take on the Knicks.