Now, they’ll be on opposite sides for the fourth time since then as the Celtics and Heat face off on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Before the game, Spoelstra spoke to the media and briefly discussed the relationship he built with the Boston trio in Paris. After all the Celtics-Heat battles over the years, Spoelstra admitted he hated himself for actually liking them.

“I mentioned to all of the Celtics from that summer, I hated myself for actually liking them,” Spoelstra said. “And then admitting it. I hated myself even more.”

The Heat head coach went on to point out all the reasons he liked Tatum, White, and Brown. His comments suggested he’d much rather have them on his team than have to coach against them.

“Quality human beings, great competitors, great basketball players,” Spoelstra added. “I have the utmost respect for Derrick [White]. He’s a winning player. Now he’s doing things that the rest of the people recognize. But the people who have competed against him realized pretty quickly, these last handful of years, how much he impacts winning. And that’s way more than just the 3-point shooting.”

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra

© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Boston has won each of the three previous meetings against Miami this season, and 13 of the last 15 dating back to 2023.

As for Spoelstra’s record against the Celtics in his career, he’s just 19-40.