IF THERE HADN'T been a massive falling out with superstar forward Jimmy Butler the week before, every question Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra took on the morning of Jan. 9 would've seemed perfectly appropriate.
The team's win in Golden State the night before. Tyler Herro's All-Star bid. Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s growth as a second-year player. All standard fare for a post-practice interview for a middle-of-the-pack team in the middle of a West Coast road trip in early January.
But, of course, nothing about this Thursday morning availability in Salt Lake City was typical.