Breaking: Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat file an NBA petition following a ‘heartbreaking’ injury.

Even before his point guard, Dru Smith, was injured on an out-of-bounds play in a win against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was not a fan of the court design in Cleveland. Spoelstra is even more upset now that an MRI has shown Smith will miss the rest of the season due to a Grade 3 ACL rupture suffered on the play.

According to The Athletic, the Miami Heat have contacted the NBA over the 10-inch drop that surrounds the court at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, keeping it elevated above the rubber that covers the ice below. Spoelstra admitted that not much is expected to happen with it, except that a modification may be made in the future.

“It is a dangerous floor,” Spoelstra stated. “I’m not familiar with the history of injuries here.” However, there have been a handful of scares in prior years when guys are closing out in that area. Fortunately, no one has been hurt previously. However, it is an accident waiting to happen.

“It’s just so dangerous. As soon as he [Smith] stayed down, we all knew that that’s probably what happened and that’s what was the case. And we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Despite a difficult road schedule, Erik Spoelstra led his team to a 10-7 record.

Smith’s departure coincided with the conclusion of the Miami Heat’s brutal early-season road trip, which included only five home games in the first 17 games.

Erik Spoelstra delivered an unusually strong coaching performance. Given that, as well as the team’s injuries—Smith is out for the season, Tyler Herro has been out since November 8, Caleb Martin has missed 10 games, and Duncan Robinson has a thumb injury—the Heat’s 10-7 record is a minor miracle.

Herro, who has been out of his walking boot for a week, is expected to be able to return shortly, possibly when the Heat return to a home-heavy schedule on Tuesday against the Bucks.

According to 5 Reasons Sports on Twitter/X, “Erik Spoelstra described Duncan Robinson’s absence as ‘short term.'” RJ Hampton and Tyler Herro were also thought to be ‘making improvements in Miami.’

Others Agree With Miami Heat About Cleveland Court

Others in the NBA acknowledge that the Cleveland court is a concern. No other NBA arena has such a starkly raised floor, and it’s probably just good luck that no one has been wounded until Dru Smith’s fall. As a result, it is now up to the Miami Heat to file an official complaint.

“Just coming in and out of huddles (during timeouts) is tricky for me,” Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham told The Athletic. “I have big feet, so hopefully I don’t faceplant….” It’s clearly something that has to be looked into.”

According to Erik Spoelstra, most teams don’t complain about the floor because they’ve been able to avoid major injuries. But he called Smith’s injury “heartbreaking” because it could have been avoided.