Miami coach not keen about All-Star process

New system makes Spoelstra focus on voting for reserves.

MIAMI — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t sure how the new voting format that determines All-Star starters works.

“How is Russell Westbrook not in the (Western Conference) starting lineup?” Spoelstra asked Monday morning.

Starters previously had been selected solely by fan voting. But this season, AllSt ar st ar ters were determined by a combination of fan, media and player voting.

The player voting pro - d u c e d s o me i n t e r e s t i n g results. Mo Williams and Ben Simmons were among t he pl aye r s who haven’t played a minute this season, but they received votes from other players around the NBA.

“I am very disappointed in the players,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Monday ’s game. “They asked for a vote and a lot of them just made a mockery of it. I don’t know what the point is. It was too bad.”

The new voting system ended up having a big effect.

Bulls guard Dwyane Wade would have been named an All-Star starter under the old system. Wade finished second in backcourt voting in fan balloting, but since he finished sixth in both player and media voting, the former Heat star did not make the Eastern Conference’s starting lineup.

The seven reserves on each side still are selected by conference coaches, though. The new voting system has changed Spoelstra’s protocol when voting for the reserves.

“I know how important it is to players and especially to guys that are giving their heart and souls into the game and should be rewarded for it,” Spoelstra said. “So I do have to admit in some years past, I would just give it to my assistants. Not anymore. We actually have a staff meeting about it so we’re responsible. I think that’s the ultimate respect for players.”

Heat center Hassan Whiteside and guard Goran Dragic hope to receive that sign of re s pec t when Al l - St a r re s e r ve s a re a nnounced Thursday.

Johnson still out: Tyler Johnson did not play in Monday night’s game against the Warriors as he continues to recover from a strained left shoulder. It marked the second consecutive game the Heat’s sixth man missed with the injury.

“We’ll continue to evaluate him every day,” Spoelstra said after Miami’s shoota ro u n d s e s s i o n Monday morning. “It’s a little bit better than yesterday, not good enough to play.”

Johnson has not had an MRI yet on his left shoulder, with the team waiting to see how the injury progresses. He was expected to be examined by a doctor Monday night to determine the next step and whether he will travel with the team for the upcoming two-game road trip.

J o h n s o n mi s s e d e i g h t games in December 2015 with a strained left shoulder, and then went on to miss the final 35 games of the 2015-16 regular season due to rotator cuff surgery on that left shoulder before he returned for the playoffs.

Spoelstra sees similarities in Heat, Warriors: The records are very different, but Spoelstra sees similarities between the Golden State Warriors, who own the NBA’s best record, and his Miami Heat, who had the league’s second-worst record entering Monday’s games.

“We have a similar model in terms of the type of player we’re looking for,” Spoelstra said. “Not necessarily all across the board, but we really like or gravitate to guys who absolutely hate to lose. I think they’re very similar in that regard.”

Spoelstra also sees similarities between the Warriors and the Heat’s Big Three teams. Both teams featured rosters full of elite talent and both faced, at times, unfair expectations.

“There are some things that are very similar,” Spoelstra said. “I think getting elite level players to sacrifice and play team basketball and really commit to the defensive end ... you have to really commend them.”

While the level of talent is similar, their playing styles are completely different.

Golden State — with Kevin Dur a n t , S t e p h e n C u r r y, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — is shooting 31 threes per game this season. During the Big Three era f r o m 2 0 1 0 -2 0 1 4 , Mi a mi averaged 19.7 3-point shot attempts per game.

As far as the hate Miami’s Big Three teams had to play through, Spoelstra doesn’t see the Warriors drawing that same reaction from the outside.

“I think people respect and celebrate the brand of basketball that they’re playing,” Spoelstra said of Golden State. “And I think eventually that’s where fans got with us, as well. They respected the sacrifices, the team basketball, team concepts that our group was displaying on a night-to-night basis. And that’s the same with them, I think. People really respect how they share the game.”

Even Spoelstra catches himself watching Golden State as a fan.

“When the Warriors are playing at their highest level, it’s almost as if they’re playing a different sport than everybody else,” Spoelstra said. “It’s beautiful to watch. It’s just a different level than the majority of the teams can play.”