The Denver Nuggets won the opening game of the NBA Finals in a thrilling contest played at the Ball Arena. Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets’ towering leader, helped them establish their dominance with his strong playmaking and scoring skills, helping his team take a 1-0 lead. On the other end, their tenacious defense successfully offset Jimmy Butler‘s impact. Due to Butler’s recent underwhelming performances and an apparent lack of enthusiasm, Heat fans seem worried about their 33-year-old star which led to speculation online about the cause behind his behavior, with Shakira’s name popping up as well.

The Columbian icon, who divorced long time husband Gerard Pique a few months back, sparked rumors of a possibile romance with the Miami Heat star during the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, she is facing the brunt of Heat fans as Butler continues to struggle on the court.

Jimmy Butler is not at his best

Jimmy Butler’s lackluster performance against the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals led to a disappointing loss for the Miami Heat. The 33-year-old accepted full responsibility for the loss and acknowledged the need for improvements moving ahead. Butler’s stats of 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists were below his usual high caliber. He emphasized his undying confidence in his teammates during a post-game interview by saying that he knew they would step up and make shots. But given that he didn’t score many points, he knew he needed to be more aggressive. Not only the numbers, but his overall demeanor seems to be a little off from what it has been throughout the postseason and this got the fans talking.

A fan tweeted, “Haven’t seen him show emotion like this in a while. Outside of the Grant Williams incident he’s been chilling. I wonder what’s up with him.”

Jimmy Butler has remained calm, apart from the Grant Williams incident when he got into an altercation with the 24-year-old.?The Boston Celtics messed up when Williams’ gaffe?teasing Butler after he made a three-pointer?backfired. The two players got into an altercation after Butler’s challenging and-1 play in response to this spurred him on to action. In the end, Butler and the Heat took control and won 111-105, with the crowd gleefully denouncing Williams for his foolish behavior.

Read More:?After Finals Disappointment, Jimmy Butler?s Superstar Teammate Stumps Reporter With Bizarre Question and ?History? Claim

Butler not bringing out similar emotions since then has fans worried about the 6x All-Star and Miami’s chances in the Finals. Many fans point fingers at Shakira for Butler’s recent performances. Shakira was seen cheering for Butler during Game 3 of the ECF. Furthermore, Shakira followed Himmy Buckets on Instagram soon after the game ended. He also followed her back. This has sparked up rumors of them dating in the NBA world.

Shakira has got fans of the Miami Heat worried

Jimmy Butler’s toned down attitude has fans worried about Miami and the upcoming games. Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on this. A fan tweeted, “Everyone is saying Josh Hart but we all know it’s Shakira’s doing.”?

A few others agreed with the fan.

Meanwhile, many believe that it is his ankle injury that is holding him back from performing at his best.

Only time will tell how things turn out for the Heat. However, Miami fans will be hoping that ‘playoff Jimmy’ is back soon rather than later.

WATCH THIS STORY:?Moving Hips With Shakira?s Waka-Waka to Dancing With Ricky Martin?s ?La Copa de la Vida? ? Collection of Songs That Moved the Soccer Fraternity

Who do you think will win the NBA Finals? Let us know in the comments below.