Heat HC Erik Spoelstra Humbled by Playoff Sweep

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t just beat the Miami Heat in round one of these playoffs; they virtually annihilated them, proving that a ten seed doesn’t stand much of a chance against the one seed. Game 4 was a route—the Cavs won by 55 points at the Kaseya Center to close out the series after winning by 37 in Game 3 and starting the series off by a 21-point win. The only game Miami found themselves in was Game 2, but they still lost by nine. Cleveland was and is simply the superior team, and Miami’s offseason begins around the same time as last year: early and after a first-round exit. For Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, this series was one of the worst he’s experienced, leaving him experiencing a variety of emotions afterward.

Heat HC Erik Spoelstra Humbled by Playoff Sweep

Miami Heat HC Erik Spoelstra had no answers for the Cleveland Cavaliers; goes home feeling humbled and embarrassed

The expectations delivered by Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro between Games 3 and 4 were that they would not get swept. Bam felt adamant that the Heat would win a game, but that never came to pass. It didn’t help that he scored just 13 points in the final game. What also didn’t help was Herro being virtually nowhere to be found, scoring only four points in 31 minutes. It wasn’t just in Game 4 that Herro was a no-show; he was also disappointing in Game 3. He scored only 13 points. After averaging over 20 points per game during the regular season, Herro’s final two playoff games drew nowhere near that average. 

In all honesty, Miami had no chance in this series from the start, and Cleveland’s shellacking to finish things off left Spoelstra feeling that irrationality got the best of his team. He spoke postgame about the series and the embarrassment of it all.

“D–n it was humbling,” Spoelstra said. “This series was humbling. These last two games were embarrassing. But Cleveland is also a very good team. We won whatever we won. They won 65. We’re as irrational as we usually are thinking that we have a chance to win this series and they showed us why we weren’t ready for that.”

It’s tough to watch those words come from the mouth of such a distinguished and respected coach like Spoelstra. If he’s not the best coach in the league, he’s at the very top, but even he wasn’t enough to pull the Heat roster into overcoming the Cavaliers.

Far away from their ’23 finals team

It wasn’t long ago that Miami was in the finals, back when Jimmy Butler was still the team leader, and the Heat were scraping and clawing their way through the East playoffs. It seems like a decade ago now, but all Miami can do is try to figure out how to get back to that level of play. Many questions surround Miami this summer, questions about Pat Riley, Spoelstra, and Miami’s roster. As currently constructed, they’re not a contending team; they’re barely a playoff team. 

So, where do they go from here? Does Riley remain in power? Does Coach Spo move upstairs like some in the NBA media suspect he will? Should Miami hunt for a superstar? What would the availability of Giannis Antetokounmpobe? Many, many questions, but most of all, what is the path of return to championship contention?