Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra Thanks NBA for Introducing Play in Tournament

• Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra recently said the Play-In Tournament is the best thing in the NBA in the last decade
• The Heat are currently on a historic run in the playoffs after starting in the play-in
• The Play-In Tournament was introduced in 2020

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said the Play-In Tournament is the best thing that happened in the NBA in the last decade.

Spoelstra and his team are in the midst of a historic run in the 2023 playoffs as the 8th seed.

The Heat are only two games away from the NBA Finals after stunning the Boston Celtics in Games 1 and 2 on their home floor.

The Heat finished 7th in the regular season with a 44-38. They lost their first play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks but handled Chicago Bulls to secure a playoff spot, per Bleacher Report.

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They became the first play-in team to ever win a playoff series after upsetting favorites Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. The Los Angeles Lakers became the second team after beating the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Play-In tournament was introduced in 2020.

Spoelstra on Play-In Tournamernt

Before they played Game 2, Spoelstra said the Play-In Tournament is the best the NBA has done in the last decade.

"I do know the play-in helped," Spoelstra said. "There are far less teams tanking. Everyone was fighting for it those last two months. Every game was must-see TV and that was in both conferences. So I think [for] the league, that's probably the best thing that's happened in the last decade," via ESPN.

He said the regular season prepared his team for their current playoff run.

"It was a blessing to be able to go through all of that," Spoelstra said. "I have not been part of a regular season like that, and I think we all grew and got better from it. To not let it collapse our spirit, but really to harden us, and steel us and bring us closer together and develop that kind of grit and perseverance that's needed in the postseason."

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Celtics vs. Heat Game 2 takeaways

Sports Brief earlier looked at the major talking points from Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The major takeaway was the confrontation between Butler and Williams.

Another big talking point was Caleb Martin (25) and Duncan Robinson (15) stepping up from the bench. They combined for 40 points.