Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Erik Spoelstra shuts down ESPN reporter’s question

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 6/5/23

Erik Spoelstra shut down a reporter’s question after his Miami Heat won Game 2 of the NBA Finals 111-108 over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.

Spoelstra was asked by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne about turning Nikola Jokic into a scorer or a passer. The Heat head coach interrupted because he was annoyed with that line of thinking.

“That’s a ridiculous … that’s the untrained eye that says something like that. This guy’s 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,” Spoelstra said.

“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. And he has our full respect.”

Erik Spoelstra shut down Ramona Shelburne's question about turning Jokic into a scorer or a passer quickly pic.twitter.com/PxcWQNN5w4

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 5, 2023

Spoelstra is either legitimately frustrated with the question or he doesn’t want some secret out. Jokic scored 41 points and had four assists in the lost. The assists total was the lowest of the postseason for Jokic, while his points total was his third-highest amount this postseason.

In the three games this postseason where Jokic has scored over 40 points, his team has gone 0-3.

The problem is: if it were so easy to turn Jokic into something you want, then the Nuggets wouldn’t be such a difficult team to face. Jokic has so many ability and versatility that you can’t just limit him to a one-dimensional player the way this line of questioning suggests.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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