Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra Speaks On The Character Of His Team

Last season, the Miami Heat became the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to reach the Finals. They were led by Erik Spoelstra, who is arguably the best coach in the league.

He had the privilege of coaching one of the greatest teams of all time, the 2012 Heat. During an interview with CNN Philippines, Spoelstra did not shy away from giving credit to last year’s team.

"What this team had times ten was character, a competitive character. A competitive character when things were not going necessarily the way we wanted it to, the group could respond to adversity arguably as well as any group that I've ever been around,” Spoelstra said. “And it ended up being one of the more memorable seasons that any of us had been a part of, and it was an honor to be a part of that group, and these will now be lifelong memories and relationships that we have forever."

Spoelstra’s mention of character stems from the underdog mentality of the team. Players such as Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, and Haywood Highsmith all went undrafted, leading them to play with a chip on their shoulder. Not to mention their superstar leader, Jimmy Butler, was selected with the No. 30 pick.

For him to argue this group could overcome adversity ‘as well as any group he’s been around’ is a huge feat considering he coached the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at anthonypasciolla36@gmail.com or follow him on Tik Tok @anthonysports_