Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren clarified his comments about playing road games against the Miami Heat.
The former No. 2 overall pick shared on social media that he actually was complimenting Miami for the atmosphere it has in the fourth quarter in close games.
Y’all get mad when nba players never have anything to say to media, but then chop our quotes up to get reactions. I was saying the seats r empty until the 4th quarter when fans come back from the lounges after a few drinks and the atmosphere is great for close games. Its actually… https://t.co/jkq5Fp0WvY
— chet holmgren (@ChetHolmgren) July 18, 2024
It seems like Holmgren’s original comments were only based on if the road team – in his case, the Thunder – were to have a big lead, in which case things would remain quiet in the fourth quarter. However, for close games, Holmgren appears to recognize that Miami’s atmosphere heats up in the fourth.
In his appearance on the Road Trippin’ podcast, Holmgren wasn’t the only one who mentioned that things are quiet in Miami early in games.
Chet Holmgren’s response when asked what are his favorite road arenas to play in:
*in no order*
1.) Golden State
2.) Miami
3.) Minnesota (hometown)
He also said “We have a ball in there” when talking about Golden State, even Chet knows it’s the Shai area now 😅 pic.twitter.com/N3GK3iSZzY
— 👑 𝓝𝓲𝓬𝓴 👑 (@neverbeenequal) July 17, 2024
“It’s the best,” former NBA player Channing Frye said. “They’re like, ‘First quarter? Ah, don’t worry about that first quarter.’”
While Heat fans apparently have a narrative surrounding them that their arena is quiet early in games, it’s nice to see Holmgren clarify his comments.
The Thunder big man did back things up when he played in Miami this past season, scoring 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out two assists and blocking three shots on Jan. 10.
He did not fare as well against the Heat when the two teams matched up in Oklahoma City on March 8 in the 2023-24 season. In that game, the young star had just seven points, three rebounds and three assists while shooting 3-of-9 from the field.
Despite that, Miami was 0-2 against the Thunder in the 2023-24 campaign, losing 128-120 on Jan. 10 in Miami and 107-100 on March 8 in Oklahoma City.
Holmgren and the Thunder have quickly become one of the best young teams in the NBA, finishing with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in the 2023-24 season.
Holmgren, who was technically a rookie since he was injured for the entire 2022-23 season, had a strong first season in the league, averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 53.0 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from 3-point range.
The Thunder appear to be a team that is going to contend for quite some time with young stars like Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams leading the way.
It’s also possible that these teams could meet in the NBA Finals in the 2024-25 season if the Heat can regain their form from the 2022-23 campaign. Miami has made the NBA Finals in two of the past five seasons since adding star Jimmy Butler.
Holmgren may need to prepare for Heat fans to be rowdy when Oklahoma City visits Kaseya Center in the 2024-25 campaign.
