Like the Nets before them, the Heat received a $25K fine from the NBA on Friday as the league cracks down on injury reporting violations.
According to a statement from the NBA (Twitter link), the Heat “failed to disclose an accurate game availability status for several players” before the team’s Wednesday game vs. Oklahoma City. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald explains, citing a source, Miami didn’t formally announce prior to Wednesday’s tip-off whether a handful of players listed as probable and questionable would be available or out.
A $25K penalty is a drop in the bucket for an NBA franchise, so it’s not as if the league is coming down hard on teams for improper injury reporting. Still, fines for two separate teams this week suggest the NBA may be making it a point of emphasis to encourage more transparency.
As Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland tweets, the Heat appear to be going the “petty” route in response to the fine. They’ve listed all 16 of their players on the official injury report for Saturday’s game in San Antonio, with seven designated as probable, six as questionable, and three as out.