The Heat are down 3-2 to the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals, one loss away from fighting all this way to go home empty-handed. But the Heat insist this adversity fuels their fire. From the outset of the season, they have maintained that the painful losses represent an essential ingredient of the so-called “process.” This wouldn’t be easy.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra engineered one of the best defenses in the NBA, but the most impressive defensive mechanism he implemented this season could be heard only on the postgame podium. Following the 112-103 loss to Dallas in Game 5, Spoelstra performed his finest spin-doctoring act of the year, saying the Heat were “able to steal one” in Dallas.
Apparently, losing three out of their last four games was all part of the plan.
“We wouldn't have it any other way than the hard way,” Spoelstra said. “This is an opportunity for us.”
Their backs are against the wall, and the margin of error is gone. But this is what Spoelstra and the rest of the Heat wanted all along, they’ll tell you. From Day 1, they established a bunker mentality in training camp, kicking off their season at Hurlburt Field and Elgin Air Force Base in Florida’s panhandle. There, they learned how to fight through the coming adversity and cope during the imminent assault from the outside world.
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