Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Pins Celebration Fine On Erik Spoelstra
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler refused to take blame for receiving a $15,000 fine from the league for inappropriate celebrating.
Instead, he pinned it on coach Erik Spoelstra.
"It's Spo's fault," Butler said after Saturday's practice at FTX Arena. "He always says to celebrate everybody else's success. Max [Strus] goes on a 10-0 run, I celebrate, I get fined."
The incident occurred in the during the Heat's Game 5 victory against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. After Strus' last basket, Butler was seen doing a dance on the sideline. Butler did not play because he was sidelined with knee soreness.
The Heat now have their focus on the second round where they will face the Philadelphia 76ers. Game 1 is Monday night.
The Sixers will be without All-Star center Joel Embiid, who is out indefinitely with an orbital bone injury he sustained in Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors.
Embiid and Butler were once teammates in Philadelphia.
"Obviously I speak for everybody that’s a part of this team, we wanted Jo," Butler said. "We wanted to go up against them at full strength and prove that we can hang with anybody and we can beat anybody. It’s a mishap. I hope he recovers well and he gets back very, very soon.”
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