Heat-Celtics: Erik Spoelstra says Payton Pritchard's Game 3 foul on Jimmy Butler 'was not a basketball play'
The Miami Heat survived Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals agains the Boston Celtics, but just barely. Miami managed to build a 26-point lead, but it evaporated over the course of the second half in part because the Heat were playing at less than full strength. Star forward Jimmy Butler had to sit out the final two quarters due to knee inflammation. While we don't know exactly what caused that inflammation, Butler was involved in one particularly notable play in the first half. In the second quarter, he was fouled by Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who grabbed his leg from the ground. While he didn't attribute Butler's injury directly to that play, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was upset about the incident and argued that it was not a basketball play as he spoke with reporters on Monday. "We don't know. It could've had an effect," Spoelstra said. "It was not a basketball play. We're not really sure why it was determined as a basketball play, ...