Eye-Popping Stat Shows Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Worth In The Postseason
The NBA playoffs are all about adjusting during a series and few do it better than Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
After losing by 20 to the Boston Celtics in Game 1, Spoelstra made all the proper tweaks. The Heat defeated the Celtics 111-101 Wednesday in Game 2. The victory improved Spoelstra's record to 10-3 in Game 2s after losing in Game 1.
"This is the moment y'all been telling the world y'all been waiting on," ESPN's Kendrick Perkins said after the Heat's win. "But damn it here my big dumbass go again knowing better, knowing that Erik Spoelstra and Joe Mazzulla is a damn matchup. Erik Spoelstra had them boys ready to go and they showed out in great fashion."
There is a reason Spoelstra was named one of the top 15 coaches in NBA history. He gets credit from his peers but is often overlooked by fans and media. Despite two championships in six NBA Finals appearances, Spoelstra has yet to win the league's Coach of the Year award.
Part of the reason for the snubs is because he won his titles while leading a team that featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Wade and Bosh are already in the Hall of Fame while James will join them once his career ends.
Even after the Big Three era ended, Spoelstra kept the success going. He took the Heat to the Finals during the "bubble" season in Orlando, losing to James andthe Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Last year Spoelstra led another Finals run, this time falling to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The Heat became just the second No. 8 seed to play for a championship, joining the 1999 New York Knicks.
