It was a sunny afternoon on Biscayne Boulevard. The Miami Heat were playing the rival Boston Celtics in a late January matchup. It was another regular-season game in the long 82-game season, and overall, the team could take it as a moral victory.
Star player Jimmy Butler missed the game for personal reasons, and in his place was rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. Despite missing the multiple-time all-star, the Heat found themselves in a tight game down the stretch against the mighty first-place Celtics.
On any other day, this game would be chalked up to the power of friendship and black magic jokes consistently seen online. An undermanned team battling a juggernaut is the norm for Miami basketball and has led to amazing moments.
Today was not one. Shortly after a foul call on Miami’s Duncan Robinson, Boston’s Jaylen Brown threw Robinson in retaliation. Fan bias can debate who was in the wrong, yet one thing was true: Brown injured Robinson, an act which lingered throughout the remainder of the season.
The arena quickly grew louder as fans were not happy with the actions of Boston’s star player. Players got close as tensions boiled, getting in each other’s faces and referees intervening. This lasted several minutes. One moment that stood out was the lack of assertion from Miami’s Bam Adebayo, who was close to the altercation. The game would resume after reviews and new foul calls, yet the passion grew. Both teams tried their hardest to get this victory, with Miami falling short.
The game ended, and Heat Captain Adebayo hugged rival player Jayson Tatum. The moment he sent the Miami fanbase into a frenzy after failing to act earlier. Some were quick to defend Bam, as he is a likeable player, and Tatum is one of his oldest friends. Others quickly pointed out that old Captain Udonis Haslem would never allow that and would defend his teammates. I myself was disappointed in my captain, who failed to defend Robinson.
The narrative was one that lasted a while in sports discussion, a couple days. Both sides bickered including the players who defended themselves through the media. The next time both teams met, this was a distant memory as a new battle waged. The tables would turn in this match as Miami fouled Boston’s Tatum almost injuring him. As expected the fan reaction in Boston was not friendly.
It was an almost exact repeat of the initial incident as Boston’s fans reacted, while most players didn’t lose sleep. Lost among all the narratives and angry fans is that these players are people. They are not an extension of our fanbase and do not react the same as fans. We dedicate time and passion to these athletes similarly but can not expect them to sacrifice pay or friendships for our love of a city or team.