It wasn’t the ending anyone in South Beach wanted to see. The Miami Heat got swept on their home floor in the first round of the playoffs to the team that rested their starters and vowed to exact revenge.
Miami took a seven-point lead into the halftime locker room in Game 4, but the wheels quickly fell off the bus. The Milwaukee Bucks went on a 24-4 third-quarter run before dispatching the Heat 120-103 to win the series in four games. The final average margin of victory in the final three contests: 26.6 points per game. It got ugly fast after the overtime thriller in Game 1.
After Game 4, head coach Erik Spoelstra was asked to share what he told the Heat locker room. Spoelstra said he wanted to keep the specifics of that conversation private, but the 50-year-old revealed the overarching message was a positive one. First and foremost, he credited the Bucks’ organization who clearly entered the postseason on a mission.
Since taking over for Pat Riley in 2008-09, Erik Spoelstra has coached the Miami Heat in 26 playoff series. His teams have never been swept, although there’s a good chance that run ends vs. the Bucks. Sweeps happen to the best of ‘em, including RedAuerbach, PhilJackson and Riley.
“We tip our hat to the Bucks’ organization. They were a great team last year and they improved on that and whether we were a part of that improvement or not, it’s irrelevant,” Spoelstra told reporters. “They took their game collectively to another level. They beat us for a reason. They were much better during the regular season and then in these four games, so we tip our hat and congratulate them. But the majority of my message to this locker room is between me and them.
“The overall deal is one of appreciation, for what everybody brought to this season, that was one of the more memorable seasons just because it was so uniquely different than anything else we’ve experienced, and we just had to really adjust and adapt. I would commend our guys for doing that, and not becoming cynical or making excuses for all the different protocols and things outside of the competition.”
“My message…the overall deal is one of appreciation for what everybody brought to this season”
Coach Spo speaks after a memorable year for the Miami Heat
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Different Year for Everybody, COVID-19
No one wanted to make excuses for the Heat’s untimely exit from the playoffs. However, Spoelstra’s team did deal with extraordinary circumstances during the regular season in regard to the bizarre COVID-19 protocols and weird injuries that hampered this season.
Avery Bradley was a bust (10 games). Victor Oladipo didn’t pan out (four games). Plus, Goran Dragic and Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro all missed decent stretches of time. They could never rekindle last year’s magic from the Orlando bubble.
“We definitely wanted that feeling of getting back to the Finals,” center Bam Adebayo said. “It was a different year for a lot of us, especially with protocols, testing, guys in and out of lineups, trades, trying to get dudes adapted. All that mixes into a season.”
“It’s my job to come back better every year. That’s my job.”
– Bam Adebayo
Added Butler: “We were a completely different team last year with different guys with different skill-sets. You go to war with any and everybody that you have, and you hope for the best because you go out there and you can compete.”
Ex-Heat Player Throws Shade at Former Team
The Miami Heat traded Moe Harkless and Chris Silva to the Sacramento Kings for Nemanja Bjelica back in March at the deadline. The deal was seen as a win-win for both teams as it gave Spoelstra’s squad a stretch forward with good range from three-point land. It also gave Harkless an opportunity to see a bigger role since he was a benchwarmer in Miami.
Harkless upped his numbers and minutes considerably in Sacramento — 6.9 points in 24.9 minutes versus 1.4 points in 11.3 minutes per game — but the after-taste didn’t sit well. After the Heat lost to the Bucks, the 28-year-old took a shot at his old team on Twitter.
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‘That’s Irrelevant’: Erik Spoelstra Shares Final Message to Miami Heat