Why Erik Spoelstra Always Gives Miami Heat A Chance In The East

The Miami Heat are only the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference standings entering the second half of the season but they have an advantage once the playoffs start.

The only coach among the top four seeds with more postseason victories is Philadelphia 76ers' Doc Rivers. In fact, Spoelstra has more wins (96) than the other _ Joe Mazulla, Mike Budenholzer and J.B. Bickerstaff _ have combined.

So it's way too early to write off the Heat because of the Spoelstra factor. He was named one of the Top 15 coaches of all-time for a reason. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins recently said be careful about underestimating the Heat because of their coach.

"When it comes down to coaching, when it comes down to making adjustments in a seven-game series, are we really going to be against Erik Spoelstra like that when it comes to game-planning," Perkins said. "He's one of the best in the game."

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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