Heat’s Nikola Jovic explains viral reaction to Jimmy Butler’s greatness. And Bam on his injury

The video clip of Miami Heat rookie Nikola Jovic went viral.

Just seconds after Jimmy Butler pulled the trigger on a step-back jumper in transition to give the Heat a three-point lead with 58.2 seconds to play in Game 4 of its first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, Jovic caught himself in awe. During the ensuing timeout, Jovic stared up at the replay of that shot as it was displayed on the Kaseya Center video board with his mouth agape.

Cameras caught Jovic’s reaction and the video has circulated quickly on the internet following Butler’s 56-point masterpiece that pushed the eighth-seeded Heat to a 3-1 series lead over the top-seeded Bucks. It went down as the highest-scoring playoff performance in Heat history and tied for the fourth-highest scoring playoff performance in NBA history.

“Jimmy,” Jovic said Wednesday morning ahead of Game 5 in Milwaukee when asked what drew that reaction out of him in the viral video. “That’s the moment when he hit the second step-back [shot].

“We all know he can hit those shots. But I’ve never seen it live like that. I’ve never seen him do that. And everything he did before that, I was just looking at the video and I just couldn’t believe it.”

According to Couper Moorhead from Heat.com, the step-back jumper that wowed Jovic was just the fourth Butler has taken in transition since joining the Heat and the first one in a fourth quarter.

Jovic, 19, has not played yet this postseason. In fact, he was only available for his first playoff game in Monday’s Game 4 win after missing the first three games of the series with back spasms that have kept him sidelined for much of the last four months.

“You can see the difference. It’s just unbelievably physical,” Jovic said of his first impression of the NBA playoffs. “People are going at each other.”

Of his lingering back injury, Jovic said: “It feels good. I’m still not 100 percent, but I feel really good.”

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ADEBAYO PLAYING THROUGH PAIN

Starting center Bam Adebayo first appeared on the Heat injury report with a strained left hamstring before Game 4 of the first-round series. But he was able to play in that contest, logging 30 minutes.

Adebayo is also on the Game 5 injury report because of his hamstring issue and the expectation is he will again be able to play. He’s listed as probable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Bucks.

But it has required a lot of work from Adebayo behind the scenes between games to make sure he can be available despite the injury.

“Constant treatment, 24 hours,” Adebayo said Wednesday morning ahead of Game 5. “In the treatment room three, possibly four times a day and just trying to make sure I’m healthy enough to play and keep playing.”

When did Adebayo hurt his hamstring?

“I don’t know,” Adebayo said. “I just know I woke up one morning and I was hurting. So for me, it’s take it slow, take it easy and get healthy for the game.”

Adebayo entered Game 5 averaging 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field in the series. Those numbers are down from his regular-season averages of 20.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game on 54 percent shooting from the field.

THIS AND THAT

▪ Spoelstra entered Wednesday’s game just one win shy of becoming the sixth coach in NBA history with at least 100 playoff wins. The others already on that list are Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (169), Doc Rivers (108) and Larry Brown (100).

“That’s not, and I say that as humbly as I possibly can, that’s not on my radar,” Spoelstra said Wednesday morning. “In general, I pinch myself every day that I get to carve out a role in this Association and make a living for a long period of time.

“That’s the ultimate blessing.”

▪ Of the opportunity to close out the Bucks in Game 5 in Milwaukee, Spoelstra said: “Everything has to be about finishing. There’s a finishing mentality and it’s all the steps that lead up to it. You got to finish your prep, finish possessions, finish quarters. We understand the DNA that this group has. It’s a proud group, it’s a proven group. Milwaukee, we’re talking about. They’re going to come out with great urgency and most likely their A game. That’s what the playoffs are about.”