BOSTON – There was a time when Jimmy Butler against the Boston Celtics was the ultimate moment of NBA drama.

That was back then, seemingly much longer ago, when Butler was named MVP of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

Now it feels more like the ongoing story of a bad right knee.

After missing last season’s loss to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs due to a sprained MCL in his right knee, Butler was sidelined for Monday night’s game against the Celtics this time around due to another problem in the same Knee was struggling.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked before Monday night’s game where the team stood with Butler.

“We’re just going to take him day by day,” Spoelstra said. “He’s still in pain. And then we’ll see what happens when we get back to Miami.”

Butler was fouled by Davion Mitchell on a layup with 1:27 left in Sunday night’s 119-116 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena Heat to 113-110 degrees.

Lacking mobility, Butler was subbed with 24.2 seconds left in the game with a 3-point play remaining and sat on the bench for the rest of the game.

“Obviously he wasn’t moving well,” Spoelstra said. “It was the last ride he had.”

Even before the Raptors game, there were doubts about Butler’s potential availability on the second night of the back-to-back set.

Butler played in only the second game of the Heat’s first back-to-back set, a return on November 18 after missing four games with a right ankle sprain.

Then, last week, he played both nights of a back-to-back set that began with a home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and was followed by a road win over the Charlotte Hornets. Butler sat out long periods of that win in Charlotte with a sore back, scoring just six points and attempting just two shots.

Now the knee has changed the concern for a player who missed 22 games of last season’s 82-game regular season schedule, and then missed the second of the Heat’s two play-in round games as well as this one, going 1-4 Level raised in opening defeat against the Celtics.

After Sunday night’s loss, in which he finished with 17 points in 34:25 minutes, Butler said at his locker: “I’m cool. A little crazy. It’s nothing new.”

That essentially put the process on hold until it was officially ruled out at noon Monday before the Celtics game at TD Garden.