Erik Spoelstra: Heat 'Much Better Than We Showed' in Game 1 Loss vs. Lakers

You can say that again, Erik Spoelstra.

"We're much better than we showed tonight," the Miami Heat head coach told reporters after a 116-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Wednesday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Walt Disney World Resort.

Seemingly everything that could have gone wrong did for the Heat.

Los Angeles came out on fire in the first half and drilled 11 three-pointers while essentially burying the Eastern Conference champions. The frontcourt also couldn't contain Anthony Davis, and LeBron James challenged for a triple-double while attacking the lane and overpowering smaller defenders.

Overcoming one loss in a best-of-seven series would be one thing, but Miami also saw Goran Dragic (foot) and Bam Adebayo (shoulder) leave with injuries. Throw in Jimmy Butler turning his ankle and limping by the end of the game, and it was largely a disaster for the Heat.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Dragic suffered a plantar tear in his left foot but "hasn't ruled out returning to play in the NBA Finals."

Even with the injuries, Spoelstra is correct about the Heat being better than what was on display Wednesday.

They lost a total of three games in the entire Eastern Conference playoffs and stunned the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. Butler and Adebayo looked like All-Stars throughout the postseason, and the supporting cast thrived for stretches to put away top-notch competition.

The overall health of the roster will be a major determining factor in whether the Heat can overcome a rough start to this series, but a return to the form they demonstrated earlier in the playoffs would make for a closer NBA Finals.

Spoelstra seems to believe that will come.