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Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat have received a lot of credit for the massive adjustments they implemented in their Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night. The most significant adjustment Miami made was on the Nikola Jokic front, with the former back-to-back MVP being limited to just four assists on the evening. Jokic did go off for 41 points, but it clearly wasn't enough to lead the Nuggets to victory in Game 2.
After the game, Coach Spoelstra was asked to comment on this tactical move by the Heat. However, instead of taking credit for limiting Jokic to being “just a scorer” in Game 2, the two-time NBA champion coach decided to go on an unfiltered rant about how inaccurate this narrative is:
“That's ridiculous,” said the Heat coach. “That's the untrained eye that says something like that. This guy is an incredible player. Twice in two seasons he's been the best player on this planet. You can't just say, ‘Oh, make him a scorer.' That's not how they play. They have so many different actions that just get you compromised. We have to focus on what we do. We try to do things the hard way, and he requires you to do many things the hard way. He has our full respect.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra clearly doesn't appreciate how some folks are undermining Jokic's abilities. Coach Spo and the Heat clearly aren't doing that, and they simply refuse to take credit for whatever adjustments they made on Jokic in Game 2 — regardless of how successful it may have been.