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As the Miami Heat take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, head coach Erik Spoelstra would speak about a myriad of topics in shootaround that morning. While the Heat head coach in Spoelstra is expecting an exciting game against the Bulls, he expressed how taken aback he was when the Denver Nuggets fired Michael Malone.
It wasn't too long ago, almost two years ago in fact, when Malone and Denver beat Spoestra and Miami in the NBA Finals where the former is now out of a job. Spoelstra would say on Wednesday morning that it was “tough” to see the ens and how he has “deep respect” for Malone according to The Miami Herald.
“It’s tough. I have such deep respect for Mike,” Spoelstra said on Wednesday. “I feel for him and his family. He’s done so much for the organization, giving his heart and soul to it and building a culture that’s respected. But also to the city of Denver. He and his family have been very active in the community. It’s just tough news. He’s a championship-level coach. Everybody in our organization understands how good he is.”
Erik Spoelstra on the “consistency” of the Heat
As the long-time Heat coach spoke about other surprising firings in the NBA like how the Memphis Grizzlies let go of Taylor Jenkins, Spoelstra is among the few in the association that are still with the organization. Spoelstra would also say during shootaround “appreciative” he is of Miami in their “stability.”
“The tough part of this business is you have to come to the realization that there are a lot of things that can be true. That’s why I’m also so appreciative of our organization, not only the stability, the consistency over the years, but the support, especially through some tough waters.”
Denver not only relieved Malone of his duties but also general manager Calvin Booth as the team is on the brink of competing in the playoffs in the hopes of challenging for another title. However, Spoelstra and the Heat have other business to worry about, especially Wednesday against the Bulls which is major play-in tournament implications with both teams being at the ninth and tenth seed.
“It’s all about the competition,” Spoelstra said. “Anytime you have games that have meaning, you have to be really appreciative. And that’s how we’re viewing it. I’m sure Chicago is viewing it the same way. These last two games and leading into the play-in, I think it’s just good for basketball.”
At any rate, Miami is currently 36-43 along with Chicago but the former is at tenth since the latter has the tiebreaker as the winner of Wednesday's contest would have an advantage.
