The Miami Heat are entering Game 2 against the New York Knicks at a major disadvantage. This is after the team announced that Jimmy Butler will be unable to suit up on Wednesday due to an ankle injury — a knock that he sustained in their Game 1 loss against the Knicks on Sunday.

Ahead of Wednesday's crucial matchup, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra addressed the press to discuss Butler's injury. The two-time NBA champion coach shed light on the process the team took to arrive at a tough decision to hold Butler out for Game 2:

“We're having very reasonable conversations,” Spoelstra said. “I know where his heart is. I know what he wants to do. This was not just a decision between Jimmy and I. We're probably the worst people to rely (on) to make that kind of decision. So yeah, we have to pull in the medical staff and training staff and we have to make a responsible decision. And that's the decision we made, and we're all on board with that.”

Based on his statement above, it seems that both Butler and Coach Spo wanted the former to play through the injury on Wednesday night. However, by his own admission, Spoelstra said that neither of them was in the best position to make that call. The medical team had to step in to declare Butler unfit for Game 2.

The silver lining for the Heat here is that Game 3 in Miami isn't scheduled until Saturday. This will give Jimmy Butler a full five days of rest (from Game 1) before he's set to take the floor again. Hopefully, his ankle will recover in time for that contest, and the Heat faithful are also hoping that they'll be up 2-0 in the series at that point in time.