Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra had a Tuesday night to forget against the Detroit Pistons.
He didn’t seem entirely aware of the game situation down the stretch, and with the score tied in the final moments of overtime, he attempted to call a timeout that the Heat didn’t have. That led to a technical free throw which put the Pistons up for good.
The uncharacteristic mistake by Spoelstra was tough for him to swallow. Fortunately, the Heat, led by forward Jimmy Butler, reportedly rallied around their head coach following his blunder.
“It’s not often you see emotion from the steely Erik Spoelstra,” wrote ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “But even beyond the remorse he showed publicly for costing the Miami Heat a game this week with an ill-advised timeout in Detroit, the coach was devastated when apologizing to the team after the game. He was still gutted the following day after the Heat traveled to Indianapolis to continue their long road trip.
“The upshot, league sources said, was that the Heat players rallied around their coach down the line. It was led by Jimmy Butler, who has had his share of run-ins with Spoelstra in his six seasons in Miami.
“It’s hard to predict how the Heat will respond, but regardless of what happens on the court, the error might end up being a bonding moment. What will help more is getting Butler back from an ankle injury that cost him the past three games — perhaps as soon as this weekend.”
Spoelstra’s timeout error was part of a rough sequence for the 54-year-old.
The end result was the Heat losing a winnable game against the Pistons. They were unable to turn a masterpiece from guard Tyler Herro — who dropped 40 points, five rebounds, eight assists and four steals — into a win.
But the sixth-year pro showed a great deal of maturity after the game, supporting his head coach even after the blunder put his big game to waste.
It’s a really good sign that Butler and the Heat reportedly rallied around Spoelstra following his mistake. The whole situation could ultimately bring the team closer as it tries to build some momentum this season. The Heat are 4-6 and need to start showing that they can compete in the Eastern Conference.
Their next opportunity to get back in the win column will come on Friday against the Indiana Pacers. The two teams will then play again on Sunday.
Although Spoelstra didn’t look like himself down the stretch on Tuesday, he remains one of the best coaches in the NBA, and the Heat are certainly going to have confidence in him no matter what. He’ll likely be as motivated as ever to put on a coaching clinic in the upcoming games against the Pacers, and if he can coach his players to two wins, they’ll be back to .500 this season.