The odds of the Miami Heat firing head coach Erik Spoelstra are about as likely as snowfall in South Florida in July—it’s simply not happening anytime soon. And for good reason, as Spoelstra is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in NBA history.
Still, that didn’t stop fans from venting their frustration following the team’s latest loss to the Chicago Bulls. After leading by 17 points, the Heat collapsed in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 36-20 and suffering their 16th blown double-digit lead this season.
Twitter users didn’t hold back:
“It’s been a good run, but Erik Spoelstra gotta go,” one fan posted.
Even Spoelstra showed some frustration after the Heat dropped their third straight game. At 29-34, they currently sit at No. 9 in the Eastern Conference standings.
“Today was a regression for one night,” Spoelstra said. “We have a competitive character. We’re going to bounce back. But we had some of these things bubble up again.”
Some fans took it a step further:
“I’ve never been more serious when I say fire Erik Spoelstra. If we can part ways with Jimmy, we can part ways with this clown as well,” another fan tweeted.
A major point of contention was the lack of playing time for rookie center Kel’el Ware during the Bulls’ late-game run.
Spoelstra addressed the issue, saying, “But again, my ownership part of it will be if we had some fresher bodies and fresher minds. You know, maybe we’d have the ability to withstand that. So we’re all in this together, that’s what I told the group right now, I’m fully with them. This is an opportunity for all of us to face our demons to get past this. This is not something that’s comfortable for any one of us. And I see something amazing on the other side if we can collectively overcome this.”
With frustration at an all-time high, fans even gave Terry Rozier—who scored 15 points—a break from criticism.
“We just got to figure it out,” Rozier said. “We’ve got to fix it now.”
