Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Bluntly Points Finger At Rival For Season-Ending Injury

Shandel Richardson

Oct 8, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets during the second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Oct 8, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets during the second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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The Miami Heat season ended five months ago the moment forward Jimmy Butler sustained a knee injury against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Play-In Tournament.

Butler sprained his MCL late that caused him to miss first-round series against the Boston Celtics. Without Butler and Terry Rozier, the Heat were no match for the eventual championships. The Celtics won in five games.

In the Netflix documentary, Starting Five, Butler explained the feeling.

"Right after the game, we went and got the MRI and it said a severe MCL sprain," Butler said. "He was like, `I can't believe that you actually went back out there and started running and playing on this. I was like, `yeah, I thought I could do something.' I thought I was superhuman. We're not superhuman."

Butler placed blame on Sixers forward Kelly Oubre. The injury occurred when Oubre tried to block Butler's shot near the rim. Butler felt Oubre jumped recklessly, causing Butler to fall awkwardly. The Heat were never the same after the incident.

"[Expletive] Kelly Oubre jumping in the air doing wrestling moves on people, which is crazy," Butler said. "I was like, `Yea, we got this one in the bag.' Injuries happen, man. Damn, injuries happen."'

The good news is Butler is healthy again. So is Rozier, who was sidelined with a neck injury. Even though the Heat made zero major offseason moves, they feel a healthy core of Rozier, Butler, Jaime Jaquez, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, makes a difference.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here