It’s been a tough season for the Miami Heat thus far.
They’ve been far from the defensively-dominant squad they were the past couple of years, and injuries continue to pile up left and right.
Some fans and analysts believe they’re likely to blow the roster up if they don’t land a star or straighten the ship soon, as it seems like their motor isn’t there.
That’s why coach Erik Spoelstra wanted to emphasize his team’s effort going forward, as he thought they were just going through the motions earlier in the season:
“We talked about it in the morning. It was just about doing everything with way more intensity and purpose on both ends of the court,” Spoelstra told the media. “You know, I thought our motor was much better, and we sustained it, you know, throughout the course of the game. We were able to push seven-eight point leads several times. They would come back, but instead of letting them take the lead and take control of the game, we came right back again. And just that level of effort and intensity is something that has to continue and be a habit for us.”
I asked Erik Spoelstra tonight about the game-plan to push pace
His thoughts, plus the result of multiple guys coming up to him to come out due to the extended efforts @5ReasonsSports pic.twitter.com/EE8AM105fb
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) December 27, 2022
It’s hard to win with your best players out or banged-up, but there’s no excuse for lack of effort.
Spoelstra and Pat Riley have taken pride in building a winning, hard-fighting culture within the organization, so you better believe they won’t tolerate anything less than 100% effort and hustle from every single one of their players.
