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Superstar forward Jimmy Butler's eighth-seeded Miami Heat fell 105-104 to the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in Wednesday's Eastern Conference play-in tournament clash. Afterward, reports emerged that Butler is expected to undergo a knee MRI. The news led NBA fans to accuse the six-time All-Star of making an excuse for his team's loss.
Butler seemingly tweaked his right knee after taking a hard fall following a foul from Sixers wing Kelly Oubre Jr. late in the first quarter.
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However, the 34-year-old played through the apparent injury, occasionally limping in pain. He struggled mightily offensively, finishing with 19 points on just 27.8% shooting over 40 minutes.
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Nonetheless, Miami built a 14-point second-quarter advantage and led 74-69 entering the fourth quarter before surrendering its lead in the final period.
Following the contest, the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang reported that Butler could be seen wearing a protective sleeve on his right knee. He then issued a follow-up report regarding the Heat superstar's plans to undergo an MRI on Thursday.
According to Chiang, Jimmy Butler is believed to have sustained a right knee sprain. Meanwhile, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that he is feared to have an MCL injury.
However, NBA fans on X/Twitter didn't buy the report, accusing the Heat superstar of faking his injury.
"Classic Bumler excuse. He knows they're gonna lose, so it’s a perfect excuse for him punting an entire regular season," @joemuraski12 said.
"He’s faking it. Such a bum," @JustJoshua401 said.
"Excuses," @FatassTatum said.
"For what? He played all game," @hjac887 said.
Meanwhile, others complained about Butler being too injury-prone.
"Every year [in the] play-in/playoffs he has injuries after taking the regular season calmly and jokingly. It’s incredible," @Tomascove0 said.
Jimmy Butler's status in question as Heat face win-or-go-home scenario
Following Wednesday's last-second play-in loss to Philly, Miami has just one day off before its second and final play-in game on Friday.
The Heat take on the ninth-placed Chicago Bulls in a win-or-go-home scenario, with the winner securing the eighth and final East playoff spot.
It remains to be seen if Jimmy Butler will be cleared to play on Friday. If not, the Heat will likely face difficulty mustering up enough offense without their second-leading scorer (20.8 points per game).
They finished the regular season ranked only 21st in offensive rating (113.3). So, they could have to depend extra heavily on their top-five defense (111.5 defensive rating).
However, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra is confident his team can grind out a home win to secure the eighth seed like last season.
“We will do this the hard way,” Spoelstra said. “That has to be the path right now. We're going to rest up, treat up, rally around each other, get ready for Friday. Again, embrace these competitive games. It will be competitive in front of our home fans.”
The Heat famously made a run to last year's NBA Finals as an eighth seed. However, with Jimmy Butler's status in question, they could face a tougher time locking up a playoff spot this year.
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