Erik Spoelstra: Heat 'Don't Give a S--t' That People Still See Them as Underdogs

The Miami Heat are unbothered by those who continue to count them out during the 2023 NBA playoffs.

"We don't give a s--t," head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters Thursday about anybody who still considers the Heat to be an underdog (warning: video contains profanity).

ESPN Analytics has drawn plenty of mockery after first saying the Boston Celtics had a 97 percent chance of winning the Eastern Conference Finals and still giving them a 65 percent chance after they dropped the first two games.

Oddsmakers were firmly behind Boston when the series began as well.

Even now with the Heat up 3-1, there's still a sense that the Celtics have more than a puncher's chance. No team in NBA history has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the postseason, yet FiveThirtyEight gives the Celtics a 25 percent chance of reaching the NBA Finals.

Despite Spoelstra saying otherwise, the Heat look like a team that thrives on silencing the haters. (Just ask longtime forward Udonis Haslem.)

It starts with Jimmy Butler.

The six-time All-Star carries a chip on his shoulder at all times, lest we forget that legendary 2018 practice when he was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Heat once symbolized a level of decadence during their Big Three era with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Butler isn't the total antithesis of that, but there's no question this version of the team embodies his toughness and perseverance.

To some extent, Miami might have welcomed a loss in Game 4 because it presented an opportunity to use further slights—real or perceived—to provide fuel on the court.