Heat’s Erik Spoelstra makes feelings clear on facing tanking teams

MIAMI – With the Miami Heat led by head coach Erik Spoelstra, the team has had one goal every season under him, which is to win as many games as possible, which can’t be said about other teams in the NBA. As the Heat are facing the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday and Thursday night, Spoelstra would speak about facing other teams that have a different agenda.

Tanking has been a major topic in the current landscape of the NBA, especially how there are teams such as the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers that have been fined by the league for unusual roster management. As Spoelstra noted, the team has “experience” facing franchises that could be wanting to lose games, with him saying how “this is what the league is” at the moment.

“We have some experience with it, so we know what’s at stake,” Spoelstra said before Tuesday’s outing against the Nets. “We just want to build on that type of disposition that we had the other night. Each night is a different challenge. You know, this is what the league is. You don’t necessarily know who’s going to play, what they’re playing for, whatever it doesn’t, it really doesn’t matter at this point. We’re trying to compete at a high level, you know, to get as close as we can to our best version and keep on improving that.”

Erik Spoelstra asked about playing against teams that could have other agendas, like tanking.

“We have some experience with it…You don’t know necessarily who’s going to play, what they’re playing for…” #HeatNation

Miami plays Brooklyn today and Thursday.

Full response: pic.twitter.com/p5jx5GF7fl

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 3, 2026

The Heat have experience facing teams that have been tanking

While Spoelstra has noted the experience the team has, the Heat’s contest against the Jazz on Feb. 9 is one of many instances where it was apparent that the other team was tanking. As the team started Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, and Lauri Markkanen, Utah would sit the three key players in the fourth quarter, despite the contest being close, even leading to the NBA fining the organization.

“The Utah Jazz organization has been fined $500,000 for conduct detrimental to the league related to the team’s games against the Orlando Magic on Feb. 7 and the Miami Heat on Feb. 9. During those games, the Jazz removed two of the team’s top players, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson, Jr., before the beginning of the fourth quarter and did not return them to the game, even though these players were otherwise able to continue to play and the outcomes of the games were thereafter in doubt,” the league’s statement read on Feb. 12.

If there’s one thing for certain, Miami is not in the business of actively throwing games for a better draft pick, as many within the organization have said time and time again. Spoelstra spoke last month about the team’s tanking, saying that the Heat are “going to compete every single night.”

“You are free to do [whatever] you feel is the best… for your organization, and people will criticize it one way or another; people criticize us,” Spoelstra said. “We’re going to compete every single night. Every night! Like I told you the other day, take it or leave it, like it or not. That’s what we’re doing. Some people hate it. Some people commend it. We don’t care. We ain’t changing.”

At any rate, Miami is facing the 15-45 Nets on Tuesday and Thursday night, with all eyes wondering if and when the NBA will make any changes to prevent tanking from happening.

The post Heat’s Erik Spoelstra makes feelings clear on facing tanking teams appeared first on ClutchPoints.