Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel has moved to stress his side’s respect for NBA champions and upcoming Conference Final opponents Miami Heat following comments he made over the weekend.
After the Pacers progressed to the Conference Final with a 106-99 win over New York Knicks to complete a 4-2 triumph, Vogel had said that the Heat were just “the next team in our way” prompting talk of disrespect.
However, Vogel moved to dull the suggestions, claiming he was taken out of context.
“I wasn’t really thinking about saying anything dismissive or anything like that,” Vogel told WQAM Radio.
“Obviously, we do have a great deal of respect for them. They’re the defending champs and they’re even better this year than they were last year.
“So there’s no lack of respect there. And I think, just, there was a quote taken out of context.”
Miami Heat superstar LeBron James said he had moved on too.
“We have respect for them. I said that [Sunday], as well. And it’s our next opponent. We’re looking forward to the matchup,” James said.
“They’re here for a reason. We’re very excited about the opportunity to go against them. It should be fun. It’s two really good teams, and it’s the four best teams in the league that are in the conference finals.”