Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
For Heat, wins are No. 1
In high-scoring victory, flashy stats mean less than the total outcome
MIAMI — About the only thing the Miami Heat knew for sure in the immediate wake of Monday night’s double-overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets was the 149-141 final score.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said Wednesday it was a liberating experience, the final and correct box score not available until shortly after 4 a.m. due to a computer glitch.
“I thought one of the best things was the stats malfunction at the end. I really did,” he said before his team faced the New York Knicks at AmericanAirlines Arena. “You know what? I made it a point to the team, because it is important for our guys to understand that and really embrace it.
“It was the first time in my career I walked out of this building without seeing the stat sheet. Our guys felt an incredible joy just about the game and the win. And that’s what it should be about.”
An unofficial set of statistics then was released shortly after the game, one that incorrectly had guard Wayne Ellington with a career-high 29 points instead of the eventually adjusted 23, with James Johnson correctly listed with his career-high 31 and Kelly Olynyk with his correct 30. That was in addition to Goran Dragic scoring 20 and Josh Richardson 17.
“I was shocked when I finally saw the stat sheet and I saw Wayne with 29,” Spoelstra said of the initial set of numbers generated. “I was more surprised that K.O. had 30. I thought those were both high teens. I was a little bit surprised that J.J. had 30, but I realized that he finished up really strong and then a lot of the other guys contributing, Goran and J-Rich in the high teens.
Spoelstra found it refreshing his players could only exult in victory and not statistics, particularly the scoring column.
“Unfortunately,” he said, “in today’s day and age, you don’t have that type of evening anymore, where you don’t see the stat sheet and guys immediately look at that far right corner.
“And it starts at the youth level all the way up to our level. And it was also a poignant message that our team is at its best offensively when multiple guys are involved.”
The balance of the box score, Spoelstra said, added meaning to the highest-scoring game in the franchise’s 30 seasons.
“Different guys can explode for big nights and nobody cares and nobody knows what those numbers were,” he said. “Now, it was our franchise highest-scoring game. I understand it’s double overtime, but we’ve had double-overtime games before and in 30-plus years to have that many points and nobody cared who scored what and how many somebody scores, it’s amazing what can happen when you just pour yourself into the team.”
Dragic called it a study in selflessness, a lesson he said he learned early in his career with the Phoenix Suns.
“They should do that every game, just show them the next day,” he said Wednesday. “Of course you want to play good, but the most important thing is winning. So if you win, it doesn’t matter who scored 30 or 40 or 25.
“Back in the day, with the Suns, I had Steve Nash, Grant Hill and those guys. They never looked at that.”