Could This Be Erik Spoelstra’s Finest Coaching Season?

Erik Spoelstra (Google Images)

Erik Spoelstra of Evanston, Illinois is now into his 12th season as head coach for the Miami Heat. Heading into this year, he had an excellent record of 523 wins and 363 losses for a winning percentage of .588. In that time frame, Spoelstra has guided the Heat to eight playoff appearances, and two championship titles.

When Miami won back-to-back NBA Finals in 2011-12 and 2012-13, the Heat had three of the game’s finest superstars leading the way in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Heat were expected to win every night, and when the big three were on the court all at once, one could argue that it made Spoelstra’s job as the Heat head coach rather easy.

Since LeBron’s departure from the Heat in 2013-14, the Heat have been competitive and have won the Southeast Division twice in 2015-16 and 2017-18. Their record over the last five seasons has been 209 wins and 198 losses. In 2015-16, the Heat beat the Charlotte Hornets in seven games in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, before losing to the Toronto Raptors in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But with Wade nearing the end of his career, and with Bosh retiring with a serious blood clotting issue, the Heat were in line for a rebuild.

When most teams rebuild, they make a coaching change. However heat president Pat Riley decided to keep Spoelstra through the transition, and the decision has paid off with significant dividends.

In 2019-20, the Heat are one of the surprise teams in the NBA. At 20 wins and eight losses, Miami is second in the East and only behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Spoelstra’s .714 winning percentage is the second-highest in his career, and even better than the .697 winning percentage he had when the Heat won the 2012 NBA Finals.

What makes the Heat run this season even more masterful is the fact Miami lacks elite superstars, outside of Jimmy Butler, who is averaging 20.9 points per game. Miami is currently winning with lesser-known players such as Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic, Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Justise Winslow and Tyler Herro. The fact that the Heat have been able to win with these players consistently is surprising and this is where Spoelstra deserves high praise.

On Wednesday, the Heat knocked off Philadelphia 108-104. It was the 76ers first loss of the season at home, and it was Nunn, who led the team on this night with 26 points. In addition to Philadelphia, Miami has beaten the Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks. It shows their record of 20 and 8 does not seem to be a fluke, and Spoelstra deserves much of the credit.