Pat Riley, Andy Elisburg at Disney to watch Heat-Bucks from a distance
The Miami Heat has played in empty arenas for the past month, but there will be some familiar faces in attendance for Game 1 of its second-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Heat president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg will be in attendance for Monday’s playoff game against the Bucks at The Field House at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista. It marks the first game Riley has attended since Miami’s season resumed on Aug. 1 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while Elisburg was at Disney to watch a few of the Heat’s first-round playoff games against the Indiana Pacers.
“It’s a big boost,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said just 90 minutes before the start of Game 1. “Andy was here for a couple of the previous games. But I think it’s awesome. Pat will be here. I’ll definitely be able to see them before and after the game, and wave. At the end of the day, this is historic. I’m glad that they both chose to go Tier 4, regardless. It’s not in the bubble technically, but it’s still enough to be able to feel the emotions of the playoffs and where we are. Then we’ll see what happens.”
Riley and Elisburg are not residing at the league’s Disney campus, so they’ll be watching games from a distance. They’re expected to remain in the Orlando area for the entirety of the Heat’s series against the Bucks, and have separate hotel accommodations than the team’s bubble setup.
NBA owners, such as the Heat’s Micky Arison, and team executives, such as Riley and Elisburg, who are not residing in the Disney bubble are permitted to attend games. But they must use separate entrances and exits in the arenas while remaining socially-distanced at least 25 feet from the court/players and coaches in the traveling party and wearing a mask at all times.
A member of the organization did not believe that Riley and Elisburg would be allowed to attend Heat practices since they are not staying on the league’s quarantine campus.
Assistant general manager Adam Simon remains the lone Heat executive inside the NBA bubble.
The Heat currently has 40 members of the team inside the bubble, recently adding senior director of player programs Kenny McCraney to assist with player guests, equipment intern Ryan Powell and an additional massage therapist to the group.
Monday also marked the first day NBA player guests could clear quarantine and enter the Disney bubble. The Heat was expecting its first player guests to clear quarantine Monday, with only a few expected to welcome guests this week.
Players are allowed one ticket per guest per playoff game, providing the possibility of additional familiar faces at Monday’s game.
The Heat arrived at the NBA’s Disney campus on July 8, with players, coaches and staff in their eighth week of isolation in the quarantine bubble.
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 4:04 PM.
