Stein: In a reference to Jimmy Butler’s try on Saturday to put on a jersey and not using a title, @jcolton31 tweeted the famed image of Michael Jordan from Valentine’s Day in 1990 that confirmed His Airness carrying an in any other case clean No. 12 after his No. 23 went lacking that day.

It’s one of the vital enduring tales from the Jordan archive, however the circumstances received’t assist Butler, who, as an announcement of equality, tried to put on a jersey with no title or social justice message.

Butler, although, was required to modify jerseys earlier than the Warmth tipped off or threat ejection as a result of it’s in opposition to League guidelines to put on a jersey that has been altered. The league workplace, on this violation, was unwilling to yield, although Commissioner Adam Silver introduced final week that he wouldn’t implement the league’s coverage requiring “dignified” standing in the course of the nationwide anthem.

In Jordan’s days, moreover, groups didn’t journey with as many further jerseys as they do now. On that event, Jordan needed to put on No. 12 as a result of it was the one further one the Bulls had on that highway journey. As seen Sunday, Miami’s bench had a No. 22 with Butler’s nameplate affixed to it prepared as quickly as he was advised to take away the No. 22 that was in any other case clean.

Jordan, for the file, scored 49 factors (on 43 pictures) in his lone outing as No. 12.

Q: As a fan of each the English Premier League and N.B.A., or soccer and basketball extra broadly, I’m questioning in the event you can envision some type of the soccer’s mortgage system ever getting used within the N.B.A.? It is perhaps higher suited to Main League Baseball, the place a big-market American League workforce might mortgage a high prospect to a smaller-market workforce within the Nationwide League, or vice versa, however I’m curious whether or not some approximation of the identical system is feasible in basketball. — Alex von Nordheim (Baltimore)

Stein: We’re on a roll currently with the questions that inject soccer into the basketball dialogue. Kudos, Alex.