The Miami Heat have floundered of late, but not enough to consider removing head coach Erik Spoelstra, team president Pat Riley said. "Write it off. Write it off. It's the media being neurotic," Riley, responding to a question about Spoelstra's job security, told the Newark Star-Ledger while attending the Big East tournament in New York. "It's [the media's] need to make a story, create a story, and make that story come true. And that ain't going to happen. Write it off. We're just in a tough time right now, we'll get through it." The Heat have lost five straight and play host Thursday to the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won eight in a row. In its losing streak, four defeats of which have come on its home court, Miami has been unable to score at the end of close games, lost by 30 points to No. 1 Western Conference seed San Antonio, and Chris Bosh complained about his role in the offense. After Sunday's one-point loss to the Chicago Bulls, Spoelstra said some Heat players were moved to tears in the locker room -- a possible indication that the pain of losing has turned to despair. "I know they'll get it," Riley told the Star-Ledger. "But everyone has to overreact to things right now." Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/news/story?id=6201689
