Heat Coach Responds To Conor McGregor’s Wild Mascot Incident At NBA Finals

UFC fighter Conor McGregor stole the show at halftime during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which sent an unknown Miami Heat employee to the emergency room on Friday night.

McGregor, in an attempt to act out an entertaining skit, squared off with Heat mascot Burnie at center court. The stunt, however, took a wrong turn when McGregor delivered a few blows to the mascot’s head, knocking him down the floor, which at first, seemed all in line with the show’s script. But shortly after, it was revealed that the man dressed as Bernie was transported to a nearby hospital and prescribed painkillers.

In the wake of the bizarre news surrounding the situation, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about the situation, which he was impressed by.

“That’s the Miami Heat toughness that we’re talking about,” Spoelstra told reporters Sunday, per Will Manso of WPLG. “He should’ve been allowed to take the first swing. We won’t reveal who that is, but he’s tough. He could take a punch and get back up. Yeah, he’s not gonna miss any time.”

Miami needs to show their in-game toughness in order to overcome the improbable 3-1 series deficit they’re facing in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

Meanwhile, McGregor, who is now 1-0 against mascots, is rumored to be facing off against Michael Chandler this year. It’d be the first time that McGregor stepped into the octagon since taking back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier two years ago in 2021.