MIAMI — Jimmy Butler and Udonis Haslem yelled at each other, fingers pointed in different directions, some Miami players tried to play peacekeepers, and Heat coach Eric Spoelstra threw the tablet to the floor in desperation.
And this was not the low point of the evening for Heat.
The Heat lost 118–104 to the Golden State Warriors, their second loss in a row and their fourth in seven games. Suddenly, Miami’s hold on top of the Eastern Conference was weak at best.
Sentiment on the Miami bench flared in the second half as Golden State started the third quarter 19-0. During a timeout amidst the Warriors’ turmoil, Butler and Spoelstra had a lot to say to each other. Butler and Haslem then exchanged words and both ended up having to be held back by teammates.
After the game, Miami took about 35 minutes to get out of the dressing room for post-game interviews, about three times longer than usual.
Defender Kyle Lowry chalked it up to passionate players who are frustrated by the loss. Wednesday’s loss cut the Heat’s lead in the Eastern Conference race to a game and a half over Milwaukee and Boston.
“Look, our guys really want to win basketball games, and we have guys who work really hard,” Lowry said. “Passion comes out. Sometimes fire and emotions break out. But like I said, it doesn’t mean anything to us. We talked and talked and continue to build.”
Spoelstra shrugged off the side collisions, stating that he believed they would not affect the team going forward.
“We have more important things to do,” Spoelstra said. “But we really want to play better. Everything else in all directions. It all starts with our leadership, our veteran players have to lead, and then we just have to play better. I know how it might look from the outside, but as I mentioned earlier, it’s more of our language than a game without passion, without toughness, or without a lot of effort.”
Spoelstra added: “You can use moments during the season to catapult you. You can come together as you overcome disappointment and frustration. Teams can also go the other way. I don’t see it in our group. locker room. But we needed a kick in the ass.”
The Heat have one day off before returning to play Friday when they host the New York Knicks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.