Erik Spoelstra admitted on Sunday afternoon that a couple of his players were seen crying in the Heat locker room after another heartbreaking loss, 87-86 at home against the Bulls.
That's four straight losses for a Heat team that, a week ago, was right in the thick of the race for the No. 1 East playoff seed. Now they're folding like origami. You'd cry too, wouldn't you?
Perhaps a lot of people would.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said after Monday's shootaround that crying over regular-season NBA games is actually not that rare, and it's something every coach has seen at one point or another.
"We all have, but it’s not something I would comment on and tell you who or when or anything else," Van Gundy told the Orlando Sentinel. "I don't care whether a guy cries or not. I don't see what difference it makes. But I don't have to fill three hours of a sports talk show. Those guys need something to talk about."
Sure. We've all got to talk about something to fill the time. But the problem isn't that we're talking about the tears in the Miami locker room. It's the angle we're taking.
To simply say that the Heat are wusses (or some other word less printable in this story) for crying is too easy. That's the obvious takeaway from this — people have been looking for excuses to bash the Heat all season, and this is just another opportunity. But if you really think about it, can't crying be construed as a good thing?
We give athletes grief all the time for not caring enough. They make their millions, they hog the public spotlight, and they ultimately aren't invested enough in winning championships for their fans. Van Gundy's team is the perfect example — how many times have we heard Orlando's Dwight Howard, or previously Vince Carter, ripped for not taking the game seriously enough?
Crying is the opposite end of the spectrum. Crying means you care. And for the Miami Heat, it's actually a brilliant PR move to shed a few tears and be honest about it.
Ever since LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh came together last July, people have accused them of being in it for the fame and glory, not for the love of the game. They took their talents to South Beach, after all, not to downtown Miami where the games are won and lost. These guys were thought to be more interested in being "Heatles" than winners.
But if they cry over a regular-season game in March? Maybe that's not the case.
If you're a real fan of the game, you want to root for players who are emotionally invested. You want them to care. You want them high after a win and low after a loss.
So what's the problem? Van Gundy is right — crying is part of the game sometimes. Let the tears flow.
What do you think about the Heat crying after losses? Share your thoughts below.
