The Miami Heat secured their second straight win, defeating the Phoenix Suns 121-111 in a NBA regular season showdown. However, one of the standout moments came when Heat captain Bam Adebayo had a heated exchange with head coach Erik Spoelstra after a miscommunication during a play.
In most NBA scenarios, it’s the coach who gives orders and critiques the players when mistakes occur. But during this game, the roles reversed. Adebayo called out Spoelstra for a late call that disrupted a defensive play.
“In that situation, Spo always gets on us for glitching, and that was one of his glitches,” Adebayo said after the game. “They’re about to take the ball out, and he yells ‘two,’ you know, ‘get in the zone.’ I’m like, ‘You can’t do that in the middle of the play.’ It just doesn’t help us.”
Adebayo elaborated further: “And I got the foul for it. So it was one of those things where next time, I barked at him and told him to stop doing it. He learned from that—he might do it next game, he might not.”

Bam Adebayo (13) and head coach Erik Spoelstra talk on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Kaseya Center. (IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire)
Spoelstra praises Adebayo’s leadership
Despite the on-court exchange, Spoelstra had nothing but praise for Adebayo’s leadership and accountability. Acknowledging his mistake in the play, Spoelstra highlighted how much he values Adebayo’s defensive command.
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“Every side out of bounds that they were running, he was the one organizing everybody,” Spoelstra said. “I tried to get our team organized into a zone, I messed that up, I called it too late, and he’s yelling at me. I love it. I want him taking control of the defense.”
Spoelstra continued: “He is our voice, and every coverage he was communicating, every huddle, he was making sure everybody understood what we were doing and what adjustments we were making. When he’s like that, he’s a special kind of leader.”
Adebayo’s impact on the court
Adebayo narrowly missed a triple-double in the Heat‘s win, posting an impressive stat line of 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Spoelstra praised his consistent contributions to the team’s success.
“Bam has been playing winning basketball,” Spoelstra said. “Whatever how many games this is, five, six games where he’s basically had close to a triple-double every single game.”
Spoelstra also emphasized that Adebayo’s value extends far beyond scoring. “Again, it’s a shame that everybody will only notice if he’s scoring. We don’t want him thinking like that,” Spoelstra explained. “It’ll all come together as long as we’re winning, but he can impact in so many different ways. His leadership in that third quarter is what I saw.”