“Professional sport is sometimes a reflection of life”

NBA – After qualifying for the Finals, the Heat coach paid tribute to the Celtics, but also to the fortitude of his players.

If it were necessary to award a trophy to the best coach of the last fifteen years, Erik Spoelstra would be very well placed with his two NBA championship titles and his… six finals! Never crowned Coach Of The Year, the Heat coach is a model of longevity but also of strategy, and his zone defense has become one of the best weapons of these playoffs. And what leadership, when it comes to compensating for the injuries of major players or boosting the morale of a team that had just lost three matches in a row!

When celebrating this qualification for the NBA finals, Coach Spo’ delivered a huge speech to pay tribute to his opponents, his players and his franchise. First, he mentioned the Celtics, who pushed the Heat to play Game 7 at TD Garden.

The memory of 2022

“Let me first say a word about Boston. I told Ernie (Johnson), but we take our hats off to the Celtics organization. They are first class. Pat (Riley) has feelings for Boston, so I make sure everyone has feelings for Boston. It’s part of my role. That said, there is great respect for them as opponents. They are high class people. If you look at the camp opposite, whether it’s the owners, Brad (Stevens), Joe (Mazzulla) and his staff, they are good people and it is a top franchise.

Then, he evoked the memory of last season, and this defeat, on the wire, against these same Celtics. “What happened last year, you know, was obviously in our heads and motivated us this year. That’s what we always hope with competition, that it pushes us to reach a higher level. I think that’s what you’ve seen on this show, this year, being able to overcome a lot. »

“These are lessons that we can pass on to our children, that it is possible to develop this fortitude”

Then, Erik Spoelstra spoke about the identity of his franchise and his group. Their “blue-collar” mentality gets the public on board, not just Heat fans.

“I think everyone can identify with this team. Life is hard. Professional sport is sometimes a reflection of life, things don’t always go as we would like. Inevitable setbacks do happen and it is how we deal with them collectively that counts. There are many different ways to deal with it. It can undermine your mind. A team can collapse for one reason or another. With this group, we got stronger, we got closer and we became stronger. These are lessons that I hope we can pass on to our children, that it is possible to develop that fortitude. Sometimes you have to suffer to get what you want. In Game 6, the only thing we could do was laugh at things rather than cry about them.”

“We have incredible competitors in this locker room. They like challenges”

Erik Spoelstra again returned to the trigger caused by the defeat against the Hawks in the “play-in”. He repeats it, it was a blessing in disguise.

“Failing to rise to the occasion could have broken a team’s spirit. But instead, it made us more determined to get the job done. After the Atlanta game the next day, I noticed in the video session how badly this team wanted to continue their season, and I felt the same way yesterday when we met after our flight. Everyone was able to release the stress of the previous night and we focused on gathering and the next task. We have incredible competitors in this locker room. They like challenges. They like to show off in front of everyone. They are open to criticism. They are open to anything. But they fight for it, and that’s a beautiful thing. »

Finally, he comes back to the difficulty of his job, and before considering the final against the Nuggets, he savors this completely crazy journey, started at the “play-in”, and in which the Heat will have eliminated the best team in the regular season and the 2022 finalists. Without ever having home advantage! “We know we still have work to do. But damn it, it’s hard! It’s difficult. It’s a tough job, and it’s hard to survive three rounds to get to that final round.”