As the Miami Heat prepare for battle in the NBA Finals, it’s important to look back on how they got to this point. Despite struggling all season to find a rhythm and show some consistency, the Heat have seemingly found their stride at the perfect time, and head coach Erik Spoelstra may be the ultimate mastermind behind this whole run. He has outcoached all of Miami’s playoff opponents so far and has found amazing success getting the most out of guys like Max Strus, Caleb Martin, and Gabe Vincent.
But did you know there was almost a time when even Spo was given the boot? According to multiple reports at the time, LeBron James was pushing for Erik to be replaced towards the end of his Heat run and even went up to Pat RIley’s office in an attempt to get his way. Riley, being the stubborn loyalist that he is, refused James’ request to his face, and the rest is history.
“Look, there’s so many great Riley stories because Riley believes in culture,” Michael Lombardi said on Simmons’ podcast. “… This is a story – this isn’t a fact, but it’s fairly reliable – that players went in to complain about Spoelstra. And he went downstairs and told everybody downstairs, ‘I’ll be in there in 15 minutes.’ He made them all line up against the wall. And basically, all the mega-superstars that were there, he told every one of them, ‘You don’t ever come in my office and tell me to fire a coach. Your job is to play basketball.’ That’s culture!”
“You don’t ever come in my office and tell me to fire a coach”
When Pat Riley reportedly defended Erik Spoelstra from the Miami Heat players that were trying to get him fired
That decision seems to be working out for the Heat 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WoWygthXT9
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) May 30, 2023
As arguably, the greatest player of all time, LeBron James commands a certain level of control over his teams. As a member of the Cavs and Lakers, James was given the authority to have his say over team moves involving the roster and coach. Clearly, that was not the case with the Heat, and it could explain why he left the franchise after four straight trips to the Finals.
Erik Spoelstra Is The Best Coach In The NBA
No matter your feelings on the Heat and their infamous locker room culture, you cannot argue against the results. From the ‘big three’ of the LeBron era to the 2020 bubble run with Butler, Spoelstra always keeps the Heat competitive when the stakes are highest.
In Game 7 against the Celtics, it would have been easy to roll over and give up after losing three straight games. But Spo and his staff had his team ready to play, and they didn’t look rattled one bit with historic implications on the line.
Looking back, Pat Riley made a great decision to keep this guy around, and maybe it should send a message to teams that constantly turning over new coaches is just not the way to go anymore.
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