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Erik Spoelstra showed concern for injured Miami Heat guard Dru Smith after their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Smith lunged after Max Strus who was attempting a three-pointer and landed on an elevated portion of the hardcourt. The backup guard grimaced in pain in what the Heat have called a knee injury. Spoelstra didn’t give an update on Smith’s status but had something to say about Cleveland’s home court.
Without being prompted by reporters in the postgame interview, Spoelstra told the media:
“It is a dangerous floor. I don’t know the history of injuries here. But we’ve had a couple of scares in previous years when guys are closing out in that corner. Thankfully, nobody has been injured before. But it’s an accident waiting to happen.
“It’s just so dangerous. As soon as he [Smith] stayed down, we all knew that that’s probably what happened and that’s what was the case. And we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland is the Cavaliers’ home court. They share it with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. The unique design sees the playing court being elevated. Because of this, a ledge has been created just beyond the sideline. It’s a design that’s often seen in college basketball but not in the NBA.
Erik Spoelstra, who always appreciates players who put everything on the floor, added this about Dru Smith’s injury:
“It’s really unfortunate for an effort play. If the court was normal, I think there wouldn’t have been any kind of incident.”
Smith is on a partially guaranteed contract. How his injury will affect his stint with the Miami Heat remains to be seen. Erik Spoelstra’s team is already dealing with injuries to Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
Erik Spoelstra should be one of the contenders for Coach of the Year
The Miami Heat looked deflated after they couldn’t get Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. It looked certain that he was headed for South Beach before the Milwaukee Bucks stunned the NBA when they acquired the superstar point guard.
Miami’s frustration was so evident that Jimmy Butler introduced “Emo Jimmy” during the team’s media day. He described the roller coaster of emotions during the offseason. However, he vowed that even without “Dame Time,” they would finish the job they couldn’t do last season.
Erik Spoelstra’s team looked like they were still reeling from the botched trade in the first five games of the season. They were 1-4 and looked nothing like the reigning NBA Eastern Conference champs.
Since then, they’ve won 9-10 games, including a stretch of seven straight wins. Even with injuries to Caleb Martin, Tyler Herro and recently Bam Adebayo, they’ve been quite impressive.
Erik Spoelstra has done another masterful job of helping guide the Miami Heat. As he always does, he coaxes the best out of every name on his roster. Duncan Robinson looks revitalized and so does Kyle Lowry. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. might be the steal of the 2023 NBA Draft.
By season’s end, many will expect “Spo” to be in contention for the Coach of the Year award.
