Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has apologized for his terse response to a query posed by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne following the Heat’s 111-108 victory over the Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night time.
The Heat trailed the Nuggets by as many as 15 factors within the contest. But sturdy performances from Gabe Vincent, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo helped offset Nikola Jokić’s 41 factors, 11 rebounds and 4 assists.
However, when Shelburne requested Spoelstra for his ideas on making Jokić merely a “scorer,” Spoelstra delivered an disagreeable response.
“That’s a ridiculous … that’s the untrained eye that says something like that,” Spoelstra stated. “This guy [Nikola Jokić] is an incredible player. Twice in two seasons he’s been the best player on this planet. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, make him a scorer.’ That’s not how they play.”
On Monday, Shelburne revealed on ESPN’s NBA Today that she and Spoelstra “are fine” and that he apologized for the remark.
Those of their emotions about Spo, he texted Ramona & apologized. It was within the warmth of the second. Y’all can transfer alongside now 😒 https://t.co/iXj80sosEU pic.twitter.com/kMUBX32vi8
— 𝙃𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝘼𝙇𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙨 ™ (@AIR305) June 5, 2023
“We talked after the game. He watched the clip back and texted me… saying I’m sorry I don’t know why I said that,” Shelburne said. “In the heat of the moment after a game like that when things are intense, people say things, and nothing is personal.”
The Heat search to take a 2-1 lead in opposition to Denver on Wednesday night time in Game 3 because the best-of-seven sequence shifts to Miami.
Source: www.si.com
