LeBron James credits Erik Spoelstra for catalyzing first championship

Dec 28, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) attempts a three point shot against the Miami Heat during the second half at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Throughout LeBron James’ legendary career, one failure he has consistently been criticized for was coming up short against the Dallas Mavericks in his first season with the Big Three Miami Heat.

One of the most underrated factors of James’ time with the Heat was the lessons he learned from Erik Spoelstra following that loss to the Mavericks. On the Mind The Game podcast, he explained how Spoelstra’s new philosophy led to their success for the rest of his time with the Heat and followed him for the rest of his career.

LeBron James on what Erik Spoelstra taught them after losing to Dallas:

"Lot of pace, lot of space. Spo taught us that. I remember after we lost to Dallas, he went to Oregon and sat with Chip Kelly — that was their whole thing in football: pace and space. Get up to the line, run… pic.twitter.com/hEf9rQ6IGk

— Heat Diehards (@HeatDiehards) October 8, 2025

“A lot of space, Spo taught us that a lot like, pace and space,” James said. “I remember after our year we lost to Dallas, he went to Oregon and sat with Chip Kelly. That was their whole thing in Oregon football: pace and space. Get up to the line, and we want to run one play, get to the line, and we’re going to make the defense really tired, get to the sets, and I’m going to give you two or three plays in advance.”

James and the Heat ended up winning in two of their next three Finals appearances, avenging their loss against the Mavericks. One of the most significant factors leading to their success was surrounding their trio of stars with several capable shooters to spread out the offense much more.

Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro provides "empty calories"?

It can be argued that Tyler Herro is the best player for the Miami Heat following his first All-Star appearance and Bam Adebayo’s drop in production in most areas. However, there are still a few flaws preventing Herro from rising higher in the league.

One of those flaws has been his health. Last year, he made a significant effort to respond to Pat Riley’s “fragile” remarks by remaining as healthy as possible. This led to Herro playing a career-best 77 games. Unfortunately, his All-Star campaign didn’t impress ESPN as much, as they viewed his season in comparison to the team’s worst record of the decade. 

Last season, Herro bounced back from injury to have his most efficient and best playmaking season, and he was a bright light on a Heat team that endured Jimmy Butler's daily turbulence and Bam Adebayo's overall down season. He'll have to overcome similar hurdles in 2025-26 after undergoing surgery this offseason that will keep him sidelined at the start. There are times when his offense-first and shot-heavy play can feel like empty calories, especially when the Heat had their worst season in a decade.

Brian Windhorst, ESPN

While No. 68 is an improvement from last year’s No. 76 among ESPN’s top 100 ranking, Herro still fell behind several players viewed as role players on their respective teams. This can be attributed to Herro’s limited defensive production and his consistently decreasing postseason play, which plagued him again last season in an early exit against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If he can remain around the level of production he had last season, and the Heat can string together a much better record, he will continue to rise for next year’s list.

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