Erik Spoelstra hits back at 1 particular criticism of Heat in Celtics series

Feb 20, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the sideline against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat have received one criticism during the Eastern Conference Finals that head coach Erik Spoelstra thinks should air on Comedy Central instead of on ESPN.

Addressing reporters Sunday, Spoelstra fired back at the media narrative that has tried to paint the Boston Celtics as the better team since they have won ten out of 12 quarters played so far as opposed to just two for the Heat.

“I get confused by all that stuff,” said a chuckling Spoelstra, according to Heat reporter Will Manso. “End of the game when the clock turns zero, did we win or did we lose? That’s what we focus on.”

Spoelstra is spot-on here. Basketball has always been a four-quarter sport, and they don’t hand out championship rings for winning the second quarter. If a team wins just one quarter by 20 or more points (as Miami has already done multiple times this series), they have less work to do for the rest of the game and can afford to lose every quarter from there on out. The final score is all that ultimately matters, and the Heat have had a higher final score than the Celtics in two out of three games thus far.

Miami’s fortunes may or may not swing over the remainder of the series (which is guaranteed to go at least two more games). But holding a 2-1 lead despite a troublesome list of injuries and a national media that seems to give them little to no credit has to feel pretty good for Spoelstra’s Heat right now.