It wasn't a virtuosic performance, but the Miami Heat drew first blood in their second round series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, hacking out a 106-92 win.
The Sixers played with a huge disadvantage—figuratively and literally—as star behemoth Joel Embiid remains sidelined indefinitely due to a facial injury. But when asked about the Heat playing with more pressure due to the Sixers' handicap, coach Erik Spoelstra had the perfect response, per the report of ESPN.
“You don't want to add more context to anything. You want to stay in the present moment. It's really just trying to do whatever you have to do to get to the next game or the game at hand. And that's all we're going to focus on. We haven't had any discussions about, ‘Hey, we have to win tonight.' I think that adds a different kind of context and pressure. It's just about trying to go out and putting together your best game plan to win that game. And that's what we'll focus on the next 48 hours —is just on Game 2.”
Clearly, Spoelstra knows that battling the Sixers without Embiid is a double-edged sword. It could be an advantage but it could also lead to complacency. He knows that he has to keep the Heat level-headed, especially in a high-pressure environment like the NBA Playoffs.
Spoelstra, who was named to the NBA's 15 Greatest Coaches, sure knows what it takes to get to the top, having won two titles with the Heat and steering them back to the NBA Finals two seasons ago.
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