The Miami Heat are preparing to shock the basketball world once again as they prepare for a two-game home stand starting Saturday night against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 with the series tied at one win a piece. However, the team is still without not just Jimmy Butler who is already known to be out for several weeks, but the unknown is still Heat star Terry Rozier who is “day to day” with a neck injury as head coach Erik Spoelstra speaks on how he's contributing despite the issue.
Neck injuries could be tricky and sporadic as even Spoelstra mentioned to ClutchPoints before the end of the regular season that one day Rozier can wake up and it's all fine. However, he will miss his ninth consecutive game Saturday with an issue specifically labeled as a “neck spasm.”
Spoelstra explains how Rozier helps the Heat even with an injury
However, even though he might not be contributing to the team on the court, he still has a role off the court being a leader and bringing the intensity to the locker room. Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints before Game 3 that Rozier “feels a certain way about this matchup” as he is alluding to the star being a former member of the Celtics for the first four seasons of his career.
“I mean, Terry is a competitive spirit. You always feel it,” Spoelstra said about how Rozier is a factor even off the court for the Heat.” He feels a certain way about this matchup and all that stuff is good, but you feel for him not being out there because this is what all the competitors want to be out there for this.”
Miami shockingly stole one in Boston in Game 2 and have officially made this a series when most thought the Celtics would sweep the under-manned Heat. In response to the ugly performance in Game 1, the Heat came out and played some of their best basketball in part of draining 23 three-pointers which is a playoff record and Rozier was there to witness it all.
Spoelstra focused on beating Boston despite continuous injury problems
However, Miami will continue to be down players as besides the known stars in Butler and Rozier, Delon Wright will be out Saturday due to a “personal family matter.” He has been crucial coming off the bench in terms of his defensive presence and his shooting from deep where he shot five for five in the first game of the series.
With another man down, the Heat will continue to repeat their mantra of “we have enough,” but when facing a dangerous team like the Celtics, the cards are stacked against the team, but what's new? When asking about the absence of Wright and the Heat continuing to deal with injuries, Spoelstra said he is not “even thinking about that” and instead focusing on finding different ways to beat Boston which involves them “doing some ridiculously things.”
“We're not even thinking about that,” Spoelstra said when asked about the injuries. “The challenge is the Boston Celtics, you know, they present some challenges that we have to dive into the competition and find a way. Maybe a different way than the other night but that's the bottom line collectively for 48 minutes or more, wrap your mind around doing some ridiculously tough things and that's what the playoffs are all about.”
The Heat look to make some noise once again by at least taking one game on their home floor, making this a competitive series. It seems as if doubting Miami is a recipe for disaster, but time will tell if reality will set in.
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