Spoelstra empathizes with McDaniel, Dolphins
MIAMI – Yes, Erik Spoelstra watched. Yes, he empathizes. And, yes, he’s been there.
Having seen several good Miami Heat seasons turning into something less at the finish, Spoelstra offered empathy Sunday for Mike McDaniel after the Miami Dolphins’ season-ending loss Saturday night to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“You feel the full gamut when you watch those kinds of games,” Spoelstra said before his Heat faced the Charlotte Hornets at Kaseya Center.
Spoelstra has spoken frequently of his affinity for McDaniel, including taking his sons to Dolphins games and dressing on Halloween as McDaniel, sunglasses and all.
“I watched the game last night,” Spoelstra said, “like probably a lot of us in South Florida.”
From his perspective, Spoelstra said he sees the Dolphins still as a team on the rise, having gone through similar setbacks during his Heat coaching career, including losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals during the first season with the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
“They’re building something and you feel something really good is happening,” Spoelstra said of the Dolphins. “They’re not skipping steps with it.
“There’s a lot to be proud of from the season they had. And you definitely get the sense they’ll be able to take another big step next year.”
That said, Spoelstra said he appreciated the angst of these coming days for McDaniel, even with what Spoelstra perceives as better Dolphins days ahead.
“That,” Spoelstra said, “doesn’t make it any easier going into the offseason, as we all know.”