Over the past five or years, the Miami Heat faced the Boston Celtics in the playoffs four times, with the two teams winning against each other twice (the Heat won in 2020 and 2023, the Celtics triumphed in 2022 and 2024). Those two teams have long been a thorn in each other’s side, and Erik Spoelstra knows this particularly well, having been the head coach of the Heat since the 2008-09 season.
There is animosity between the Heat and Celtics on the court, that’s for certain. But Spoelstra had to set that aside as he was called upon by Team USA to be an assistant coach on Steve Kerr’s staff during the 2024 Paris Olympics — with three Celtics stars, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White, being part of the roster that won gold in France.
In fact, the Heat head coach found himself being endeared to the Celtics trio, which led to him hating himself (in a playful manner, of course).
“That entire experience [in the Olympics] was an incredible blessing. I mentioned to all of the Celtics from that summer, I hated myself for actually liking them. And then admitting it, I hated myself even more,” Spoelstra admitted prior to the Heat’s 124-103 win over the Celtics on Wednesday night, via ClutchPoints Celtics beat reporter Daniel Donabedian.
The Heat head coach gushed over the Celtics trio, as he loved his time working in close proximity with them and getting to know them on an even deeper level.
“Quality human beings. Great competitors. Great basketball players,” Spoelstra added.
The game of basketball goes beyond the four corners of an arena, and for the Heat head coach, there is a sense of strong mutual respect that has been built among him and three players he’s competed against in the grand postseason stage.
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra delivers special shoutout for Derrick White
When the Celtics acquired Derrick White via trade in 2022, little did everyone know that they’d be getting one of the best volume outside shooters in the NBA as well as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
White has blossomed into the kind of player that every contending team wishes they had, and his inclusion in Team USA’s stacked 2024 roster shows how much everyone’s head has been turned.
“I have the utmost respect for Derrick. He’s a winning player. People who’ve competed against him realize quickly these last handful of years how much he impacts winning. And that’s way more than the three-point shooting,” Spoelstra said.
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