Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Questions Officiating Without Going Fred VanVleet

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra unleashed his feeling about the referees in Saturday's loss to Orlando Magic
Shandel Richardson|
Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Questions Officiating Without Going Fred VanVleet
Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Questions Officiating Without Going Fred VanVleet

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Miami HeatToronto Raptors

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wanted to make it clear: he's no Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. 

He made a subtle criticism of the officiating in Saturday's loss to the Orlando Magic. In particular, he pointed out two no-calls on fouls he felt should have favored Jimmy Butler and Cody Zeller.

"I'm not going to get a fine, and league, you're not even going to think about giving me a fine," Spoelstra said. "It started off with that blocking foul where Jimmy took one to the face. Then Cody took another to the face and broke his nose. Then our debate about those things seemed to carry over with the official and then it became a matching of egos." 

Spoelstra was tame compared to VanVleet earlier this week. He specially criticized referee Ben Taylor after the Raptors lost to the Los Angeles Clippers. He was fined $30,000.

"I don't mind, I'll take a fine. I don't really care," VanVleet said after that game. "I thought Ben Taylor was f---ing terrible tonight. I think that on most nights, you know out of the three [officials], there's one or two that just f--- the game up. It's been like that a couple of games in a row."

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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