After a ‘humbling’ blowout loss to the Celtics, Erik Spoelstra made a startling admission.
On Thursday, the Miami Heat were defeated by the Boston Celtics. It was “Rivals Week” in the NBA, and the two teams were playing each other. But despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Erik Spoelstra’s squad was unable to pose much of a threat to the Celtics. Rather, the Celtics waltzed to victory, winning 143–110.
After the game, Spoelstra addressed the media and acknowledged that Boston had completely destroyed his team.
In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season, Miami overcame the Celtics. In previous years, the two teams have faced off in the postseason. The Heat are therefore probably seen by the Celtics as a barometer for their prospects of success. That’s probably the reason they were so motivated to win their most recent game.
You cannot, however, discount the Heat. They also had difficulties in the regular season of 2022–2023. They then proceeded to the NBA Finals via an outstanding run from the play-in tournament.
This year appears to be more difficult, of course. Damian Lillard was added to the Milwaukee Bucks during the summer, which improved the team. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were added by Boston. And with Nick Nurse as their coach, the Philadelphia 76ers appear fantastic.
