Miami Heat veteran forward Udonis Haslem shared what he and Jimmy Butler told each other during their verbal altercation in a game against the Golden State Warriors earlier this season.
Jimmy Butler was HEATED in the Miami huddle after the Warriors went on a big run to start the second half pic.twitter.com/6waBmHlL1r
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 24, 2022
Butler and Haslem had to be held back as they exchanged words during the game on March 23, but the Heat veteran revealed that it may have been a good thing for the team.
“We both said we gon’ kick each other’s ass,” Haslem told Cari Champion. “I mean, it was just a situation – it’s an up and down last couple games, a lot of frustration, a lot of tension. We just trying to get the solution on how to win. I just wanted all of us to be on the same page, and as the captain, as a leader, it was just a situation where it could’ve gone either way.
“I could’ve been a little more coolheaded. Jimmy could have been a little more coolheaded. But I don’t think either one of us regret that situation because you look at the basketball we playing now.”
Haslem makes a great point, as the Heat won six of their last nine games of the season following the loss to the Warriors.
Miami was able to lock up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in the process, and it played some of its best basketball down the stretch, winning six consecutive games prior to losing to the Orlando Magic on April 10.
Haslem and Butler are both important vocal leaders on this team, and it’s a good sign that the two players aren’t holding any grudges following the incident.
Miami is looking to make it back to the NBA Finals this season after getting knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in the 2020-21 campaign. The Heat last made the Finals in the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble in the 2019-20 season. They eventually lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
