MILWAUKEE — The delicate dance continued for the Miami Heat at Thursday morning’s shootaround at Fiserv Forum, the ongoing discussion about Jimmy Butler’s absences amid the team stressing in advance that coach Erik Spoelstra would not be taking questions on the subject.

So a few more zigs, a few more zags, and the reality that Butler again is away from the team, this time on a two-game team suspension for as the team phrased it in a statement, “continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing (Wednesday’s) team flight to Milwaukee.”

For Spoelstra, it has meant seven games without Butler, the term of the initial unpaid team suspension, the three games back by the former All-Star forward, and now this two-game sanction that includes Thursday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks and Saturday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets that concludes this two-game trip.

“The point that I made to our team is you get used to it,” Spoelstra said in a measured tone, agreeable to taking the question. “Get over it. This is the NBA life. This is the life we chose. If you think that it’s just going to be predictable, you’re really mistaken. I think it takes a mental fortitude and commitment just to focus on a task at hand.

“Nothing changes, in terms of what the task is. We have a game tonight. We have enough continuity. We know what our identity is at this point. You can make any excuse you want to. But we get to do what we love.”

A follow-up question was asked about the impact on continuity, of going from a player such as Butler to alternative options.

“Of course there is,” Spoelstra said. “That’s part of the challenge. It’s part of the deal. And, so, we’ve had this happen all season long. So we know the exercise and what we need to do to make those adjustments.”

Guard Tyler Herro said it is a case of moving forward with what the team has available, nothing more, nothing less.

“I think we all know everything that’s going on, so there’s not really that much to talk about,” he said.

Asked about the impact of continuity, Herro said, “I mean what do you think? It’s probably not the easiest to work with someone who’s in and out, you know, in any job.

“So, we love Jimmy. We love for him to be here. And I love Jimmy.”

Having addressed Butler’s first suspension that day after that Jan. 3 sanction, center Bam Adebayo was asked about this latest sanction, which does not have Butler available again until Monday night’s game against Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center.

“I mean, we keep the main thing the main thing,” Adebayo said. “Like we’ve said before in the past, that’s between him and the management. And we let that be that. The rest of us, we’re worried about how we can get wins.”

Adebayo said the thought in the locker room and in the huddle is not about who is not in the locker room or the huddle.

“Next guy up. It’s the next-guy mentality,” he said. “We’ve been preaching that for how long at this point? For us, that’s what it is.”

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