Social Media Roasts Erik Spoelstra After Viral 'Complete, Uncharacteristic Meltdown'

Nov 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Erik Spoelstra wanted to call a late timeout against the Detroit Pistons.

What the longtime Miami Heat coach instead got was mockery, ridicule, and a crushing road loss. 

By attempting to call a timeout with none left against the Pistons, Spoelstra earned a technical foul. It gave Detroit an opportunity to sink a game-winning free throw with 1.1 seconds remaining. 

Miami (4-6) wasted a 40-point outing from guard Tyler Herro in the shocking defeat. 

Social media wasted no time roasting Spoelstra, a three-time NBA champion and one of the league’s most successful coaches. 

“A complete, uncharacteristic meltdown,” SiriusXM’s Rob Perez (AKA World Wide Wob) wrote on X. 

Spoelstra took full responsibility after the game, telling reporters he made a “serious mental error.” 

Some social media users agreed, with Fox Sports Radio host Jason Smith writing, “Erik Spoelstra is the absolute LAST NBA head coach I'd expect to call a time out [sic] he doesn't have. Yet here we are.”

Others opted for humor following Spoelstra's viral gaffe.

The Heat suffered their fourth loss in five games and fell to 0-1 in NBA Cup play. 

“Spo is the biggest moron in the world,” wrote one X user, who also took a shot at center Bam Adebayo. The three-time All-Star center scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss.

Added another X user: “This season has taken years of my life already.”

The Heat return to the court Friday night against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers (5-5) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.


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Jake Elman
JAKE ELMAN

Jake Elman is a veteran sports journalist and graduate of Florida Atlantic University’s journalism program. In recent years, he has covered the NFL for EndGame360 and served as the sports content lead for ExpressVPN. He also covered the Lane Kiffin years at FAU for the Palm Beach Post.