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PHILADELPHIA – During the darkest and direst days, Erik Spoelstra refused to turn to excuses, even as the Miami Heat’s losing streak reached 10.
But now, in the comfort of a three-game winning streak, Spoelstra afforded himself a moment of reflection and candor ahead of the three-game trip that opens Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
Yes, Spoelstra said, the hurdles were ample in the bid to regain footing. And while he would not delve into all the specifics, he hinted at the grenade Jimmy Butler tossed into the locker room with his obstinacy, the adjustments to the Feb. 6 trade that Butler then forced, and the ensuing injury absence of prime trade acquisition Andrew Wiggins.
“We’re trying to put this thing together in a short period of time,” Spoelstra said, with his team still mired in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, the final play-in spot, with nine games left in the regular season. “And with some of the injuries and Wiggs being out, I’m not making that as an excuse, it’s just that’s kind of the reality. Some of these things take time.
“But we’re seeing tremendous progress with our offense and it’s not just based on the result of the wins the last three games.”
During those dark and dire days, Spoelstra insisted better days were ahead. The victories this week over the Charlotte Hornets, Butler’s Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks have offered a window into the possibilities.
While also maintaining proper perspective.
“Look,” Spoelstra said, “we’ve had a lot of things happen this year and I do really appreciate the resilience of this group. And it’s such a beautiful opportunity to face some kind of adversity together.
“I mean, come on, it’s professional sports. It’s not like we work in a hospital or something. But you collectively have an opportunity to face something uncomfortable and as long as you don’t separate and actually the opposite happens, you get closer from it, you actually can have something beautiful on the other side of some really hard things in this profession.”
The reality is that the Heat likely will have to win a pair of win-or-go-home play-in games to keep their five-year playoff streak alive.
But Spoelstra indicated a sense of his team being in a place capable of overcoming such a challenge.
“There have been a lot of injuries, trades, guys not playing great,” Spoelstra said. “Everybody’s had their opportunity. But right now, we’re starting to get a little bit of consistency in the rotation and we’re just going to go with that.”
Those changes had not been subtle, either.
Terry Rozier has been held out of the last five games. Jaime Jaquez Jr. also was out of the mix in Thursday night’s victory over the Hawks that closed out the 3-2 homestand, after playing just 10 total minutes the previous two games. And while sidelined by back pain the past two games, a return to the rotation for Duncan Robinson no longer is a given based on how Alec Burks has played as a starter the past two games.
Between the emotion of beating Butler and the last-chance race for, at minimum, a home play-in game, this current stretch has been rejuvenating.
“That’s what you have to kind of enjoy about this time of year and these games,” Spoelstra said. “You hope that it brings out the best in you and it definitely brought a different level in us.”
While one more loss would mean the Heat’s first losing season since 2018-19, center Bam Adebayo said the thought process remains as it has throughout both the losing streak and this latest bounceback.
“We didn’t let go of the rope,” Adebayo said. “We’ve been preaching that since we went on that 10-game losing streak. Like I said, you never know what can happen. We didn’t let go and now we’re streaking.”
Continue reading...
But now, in the comfort of a three-game winning streak, Spoelstra afforded himself a moment of reflection and candor ahead of the three-game trip that opens Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
Yes, Spoelstra said, the hurdles were ample in the bid to regain footing. And while he would not delve into all the specifics, he hinted at the grenade Jimmy Butler tossed into the locker room with his obstinacy, the adjustments to the Feb. 6 trade that Butler then forced, and the ensuing injury absence of prime trade acquisition Andrew Wiggins.
“We’re trying to put this thing together in a short period of time,” Spoelstra said, with his team still mired in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, the final play-in spot, with nine games left in the regular season. “And with some of the injuries and Wiggs being out, I’m not making that as an excuse, it’s just that’s kind of the reality. Some of these things take time.
“But we’re seeing tremendous progress with our offense and it’s not just based on the result of the wins the last three games.”
During those dark and dire days, Spoelstra insisted better days were ahead. The victories this week over the Charlotte Hornets, Butler’s Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks have offered a window into the possibilities.
While also maintaining proper perspective.
“Look,” Spoelstra said, “we’ve had a lot of things happen this year and I do really appreciate the resilience of this group. And it’s such a beautiful opportunity to face some kind of adversity together.
“I mean, come on, it’s professional sports. It’s not like we work in a hospital or something. But you collectively have an opportunity to face something uncomfortable and as long as you don’t separate and actually the opposite happens, you get closer from it, you actually can have something beautiful on the other side of some really hard things in this profession.”
The reality is that the Heat likely will have to win a pair of win-or-go-home play-in games to keep their five-year playoff streak alive.
But Spoelstra indicated a sense of his team being in a place capable of overcoming such a challenge.
“There have been a lot of injuries, trades, guys not playing great,” Spoelstra said. “Everybody’s had their opportunity. But right now, we’re starting to get a little bit of consistency in the rotation and we’re just going to go with that.”
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Those changes had not been subtle, either.
Terry Rozier has been held out of the last five games. Jaime Jaquez Jr. also was out of the mix in Thursday night’s victory over the Hawks that closed out the 3-2 homestand, after playing just 10 total minutes the previous two games. And while sidelined by back pain the past two games, a return to the rotation for Duncan Robinson no longer is a given based on how Alec Burks has played as a starter the past two games.
Between the emotion of beating Butler and the last-chance race for, at minimum, a home play-in game, this current stretch has been rejuvenating.
“That’s what you have to kind of enjoy about this time of year and these games,” Spoelstra said. “You hope that it brings out the best in you and it definitely brought a different level in us.”
While one more loss would mean the Heat’s first losing season since 2018-19, center Bam Adebayo said the thought process remains as it has throughout both the losing streak and this latest bounceback.
“We didn’t let go of the rope,” Adebayo said. “We’ve been preaching that since we went on that 10-game losing streak. Like I said, you never know what can happen. We didn’t let go and now we’re streaking.”
Continue reading...
