Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra could do nothing but watch from the sideline Friday as his team dwindled away a 20-point halftime lead before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Losing to the Bucks is the fate a majority of teams have suffered this 2018-19 season. After all, Milwaukee boasts the best record in the NBA.
However, for Spoelstra and Co., a win Friday would have been crucial, and he dished afterwards on why he thought they lost, via Ira Winderman of the Miami Herald.
“It was the management of our emotional energy and inability to stay present, I think, that probably hurt us the most.”
When Erik Spoelstra isn't waxing poetic, he's also likely to admit that failing to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo was also a huge part of his team's reason for not closing out the win. He'll have exactly one week to make an adjustment as the two teams are slated to close out their four-game regular-season series on March 22.
But if the current Eastern Conference standings are any indication, these two teams may not be done with one another any time soon. Milwaukee, by virtue of the league's best record, owns the No. 1 seed, while the Heat clutch onto the No. 8 seed.
Both Orlando and Charlotte are breathing down their necks, but Miami also remains just three games out of the no.6 seed.
Miami next meets up with Charlotte in a crucial showdown Sunday. At 32-36, the Heat head the bizarre Southeast division — which in order to win will likely take emotional energy and an ability to stay present.
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