It’s ok to be mad, sometimes
Losing to a lottery-bound team like the Brooklyn Nets in overtime is shameful. Even worse though, is a placid attitude portrayed to the postgame media. Class is surely a key component to professionalism, but in the NBA, so is passion.
After the Brooklyn game however, the conversation hinged on a missed call on Dwyane Wade. Excuse the fact that Wade still missed an earlier layup, and the Heat had numerous chances to avoid overtime altogether.
Still, all Miami could talk about was the forthcoming last two minutes report.
"“Thanks for nothing,” Spoesltra said of the no-call. He added, “I shouldn’t have said something because sometimes when you say something they’ll definitely take the opposite angle and stance on that.”"
Acknowledging his misstep in addressing the refereeing is akin to Whiteside’s misstep in addressing the media. Both were rash decisions at the time, but their passion for the game won out, leading to bad choices all around.
The moral of the story is that calling out refs doesn’t change the game outcome and calling out the coach doesn’t automatically increase your playing time. But both moves have a place in addressing accountability and proactive behavior to ensure those situations don’t become the norm.
It would be a real pity to have the franchise’s legacied unique culture shift, just because of one player’s inability to work through issues behind closed doors. Especially considering that both parties do in fact want the same thing; it just comes down to how to achieve it, and how to best communicate with one another along the way.