Locker room conflicts often happen to teams with high expectations and poor results. Like the Lakers and Nets this season, the poor record led them to trigger a locker room conflict for a while. Unexpectedly, the Heat, which ranked first in the East, also had a scene of quarrels between the core of the team and the head coach. Yesterday, the Heat faced the Warriors who were absent from the Splash Brothers, but at one point the Warriors played a wave of 19-0 offensive climax, and then Heat coach Spoos called a timeout. It was during this timeout that team boss Jimmy Butler clashed with the head coach, and then heat soul Haslem stepped forward for the head coach.
Based on the video from the scene, we can decipher what happened at that time. Maybe butler provoked Spools, who said, "You want me to fight you?" Meaning: You want to fight with me? At this time, Haslem directly stood up and pointed at Butler's nose and scolded, Butler was also chattering, and the two even wanted to go out to the stadium now to solve the problem with their fists, and the scene was very tense. Subsequently, Spoors angrily threw the tactical board and made a rebuke at Butler. Because the timeout was up, Butler returned to the game, and the crisis was temporarily lifted. As the saying goes, the discord between the general and the coach is a big taboo, and Butler, as the core of the team, takes the initiative to provoke the head coach, which is really his own ruin.
If it is a star of james and Durant's level, then through the mediation of management, perhaps the head coach will take the initiative to apologize. But Butler is a second-rate star at best, and Spools is the heat's meritorious manager, not to mention butler's recklessness, and butler will pay for it no matter what. Many people question Haslem, arguing that as a team veteran, he should not add fuel to the fire, but in fact, this is why the Heat want to sign the 41-year-old veteran at the expense of a place. Haslem played for the Heat for 19 seasons, followed the team to win 3 championships, James, Wade, O'Neal are all historical stars he has assisted, in his eyes, Butler is indeed not qualified to provoke the head coach. Obviously, Haslem's approach was correct, and in time to stop Butler's arrogance, the role of the dressing room veteran was reflected.
In an interview after the game, Spoors laughed at the clash, believing it was just a small episode in the game, and the two veterans Tucker and Lowry thought it was harmless. However, judging from the tit-for-tat situation on the scene yesterday, I am afraid that this matter will not be easily resolved. Apparently, the team, including the head coach, was unhappy with Butler's two-year slump. Since joining the Heat, Butler's scoring efficiency has plummeted, and the three-point shooting rate has remained at about 25% all year round, as a team core, such offensive performance is really difficult to convince. Moreover, Butler is not the kind of player who cannot express his strength with data. In the 20 games that Butler has missed this season, the Heat have still been able to maintain a winning percentage of nearly 60%, and Butler's actual performance is not as good as the media has advocated. However, the Heat chose to complete the contract extension with Butler in advance with a maximum salary contract last summer, and perhaps this conflict will be more inclined to a peaceful settlement within the Heat.
The locker room contradiction is the taboo of the championship team, as strong as the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013, who also fell in front of the locker room problem. Obviously, this season's Heat are in the first echelon of the championship race, and if nothing else, they will maintain the top two in the East and enter the playoffs, and their championship odds are also in the fourth place in the league. There is a locker room conflict, and if it affects the chemistry of the team, then their playoffs may be out in a different way.
The Nets may be profitable. According to the current situation, the Nets have a high probability of entering the playoffs as the seventh or eighth seed in the East, and there is a high probability of encountering the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. Kyrie Irving, who plays full-time, plus Durant, who is full of firepower, can't be said to win the Heat, but at least it will be a five-to-five scene. Now that the Heat is in trouble, if the barrier cannot be eliminated in time, then the Nets can indeed enjoy it. Next, the Heat's performance may directly reflect their team atmosphere, like the Nets during the 11-game losing streak, once the team loses cohesion, how strong the lineup is does not help.