Neville hopes the Heat’s run inspires Inter Miami
Inter Miami coach Phil Neville said the Heat’s improbable run to the
NBA Finals serves as inspiration for him and his players as they prepare for a home game Wednesday against the New York Red Bulls.
He added that half the building showed up in Heat gear Tuesday morning.
“Massive congratulations to Erik [Spoelstra] and the team, they’re inspirational,” Neville said of Miami coach. “The eighth seed going into the playoffs, everyone had written them off. Talent can take you a long way, but that kind of spirit and teamwork and togetherness, it’s no different than Florida Panthers. That is what we’re trying to build here. We’re a lot younger and have a long way to go.”
Neville, whose team is in last place in the East with a 5-9-0 record, spoke to his players about the Heat’s success during a meeting Tuesday morning.
“It’s a great example, I told the team, that you can have talent but if you don’t have that willingness to fight for each other, the spirit, to go from up 3-0 to 3-3, they had lost all momentum going back to
Boston,” Neville said. “Boston was celebrating, going back home, and from the minute the Heat came out, they were sensational. Their game plan and the way the bench celebrated every single shot I thought showed a lot about their culture.”
Neville has been taking close note of Spoelstra throughout the playoffs.
“The coach is outstanding,” Neville said. “His emotional control. The way he manages that group. For me, it’s inspirational.”
The home game against 13th-place New York (7:30 p.m., AppleTV) is a chance for Miami to climb from 15th to as high as ninth place in the standings. Only three points separates last place from ninth, and Miami has back-to-back home games against New York and
D.C. United this week.
Miami is coming off a 1-0 road loss at Montreal in which it took 13 shots, five on goal, but could not finish.
“We’re at a place in the table that is not acceptable
to me,” Neville said. “Montreal was a game we should have won by three. We created enough chances. We need to be relentless against the Red Bulls. We know they have a clear identity and philosophy. We have to win.
“This club is always at its best when its backs are against the wall. We’ve had some major setbacks in terms of injuries, but we have belief in the players we put out there. We need to attack and be brave.”
Chances are, it will be a low-scoring game. New
York has scored 10 goals in 15 games, fewest in the East. Miami is third lowest at 14 goals in 14 games.
Former Inter Miami winger Lewis Morgan, who was traded to the Red Bulls for $1.2 million before the 2022 season, has been out the past two months with a hip injury. He was on the bench for New York’s 1-0 road loss to Seattle last weekend and could make his return on Wednesday against his former teammates. Other former Miami players on the Red Bulls roster are Dylan Nealis and Andres Reyes.
Among the New York players to watch is Brazilian goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. The Red Bulls have allowed 13 goals in 15 games, which is second
lowest in the East. Coronel has been in goal for three wins over Miami, two of them shutouts.
Midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro (hamstring) and Robbie Robinson (calf) are still out for Inter Miami, but Neville said “Robbie’s doing incredible. He’s close.” Coco Jean and
Nico Stefanelli were injured during the Montreal game, and both are 50-50 for Wednesday.
Neville also mentioned that forward Leo Campana may be due for a bit of a break.
“We’ve got to look at Leo; he’s probably played his most-ever minutes in games, doing outstandingly well, we’ve got to look at him, as well,” Neville said.