© Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Heat's Erik Spoelstra Spurs Emotions in Clash with Brooklyn Nets
Over the past few seasons, the Brooklyn Nets have exerted dominance over the Miami Heat. On Thursday, November 16, the Heat finally got their much-desired win after five straight losses to the Nets.
Before the game, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed frustration when questioned about the team's potential vulnerabilities, specifically against the Nets.
He was clearly agitated which could’ve contributed to his competitive fire during the game. Even the Heat's social media accounts took some shots at the Nets after the win.
“I’m not going to concede that. This is just competition, we gotta figure it out,” Spoelstra said in his pre-game presser. “Whether they think they’ve handled this easily, I don’t know where that’s coming from. They’re a good team, you gotta respect that, they play fast, and they shoot a lot of threes. They’re a pretty good driving team. We do some things we think we do very well, now we just figure out who’s the better team tonight.”
The Heat played very well against the Nets
Entering the Heat game, the Nets were riding high on a two-game winning streak and a record over .500. That all stopped against the Heat as they were superb with top-tier performances from Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, and Bam Adebayo.
The game featured some intense moments, notably Dennis Smith Jr. receiving a technical foul for confronting Butler. This incident has the potential to elevate the Nets vs Heat matchup into a budding rivalry, considering the talent on both teams.
The Nets will play the Heat again soon
The Nets and Heat have split their season series so far at one game apiece during the, but the two teams still have more games to play. There is one coming up on Saturday, November 25 at Kaseya Center. This will be a good litmus test for the Nets as they try to recover from their loss and redeem themselves.
With the Heat showing a competitive edge against the Nets, coach Jacque Vaughn and his team must return the favor. Brooklyn has the talent to match up, they just have to meet the Heat at their level of competitiveness.
