MIAMI — Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t surprised by how well the Seattle Seahawks played in the Super Bowl, because he witnessed a preview in August.
Spoelstra was a guest during training camp at Seahawks headquarters, where he sat in on meetings, spoke to the team and watched practice.
“The speed, the quickness, the power you saw from that team Sunday night, I saw that in training camp,” Spoelstra said Monday. “My hat’s off to them. It’s not easy to win a championship in any sport.”
Spoelstra, who has led the Heat to back-to-back NBA titles, said he traded text messages Monday with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and congratulated him for Seattle’s 43-8 victory over Denver.
Spoelstra said he found his visit to Seahawks camp inspiring.
“I went up there just to learn and try to take something from them, something I could learn myself from a coach who I think is really a unique coach — his personality, the way he coaches the game, his mind. He’s creative,” Spoelstra said. “His energy for somebody his age — when I saw him out there, I was like, ‘If he can bring that, I can bring more.’”
Carroll is 62, Spoelstra 43.
Spoelstra said the Seahawks have a basketball hoop in a team meetings room that came into play during his visit.
“I was writing notes down, and coach called me up, and we ended up playing PIG in front of the whole group,” Spoelstra said. When asked if he won, Spoelstra said yes.
He said the Seahawks have an open invitation to visit the Heat.
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