Despite all the stress and the buzz surrounding the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets, Erik Spoelstra had some time for a good laugh ahead of the crucial Game 1 on Thursday.
Speaking to Malika Andrews, who showed him an image of him when he was 14 and was part of the Heat as their video coordinator. “First of all, why is that picture in black and white? I’m not that old,” Spoelstra said with a laugh. “It looks like it’s from the 60s or something.”
“I was 14 years old. My dad actually gave me great advice. He said this is an incredible situation with Pat Riley. No matter what, just hang on, stay with it, no matter what they ask you to do, do not ever leave the situation.”
“First of all, why is that picture in black and white? I’m not that old!” Fun moment with Erik Spoelstra reacting old film room photos on NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/6QJx5hPBJA
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 31, 2023
Spoelstra’s rise in the Heat ranks has been meteoric. While it might be the players who may have been the ones doing the job on the court, it was their 52-year-old head coach who is instrumental in making sure the team gets their plans right on the court.
After starting off as a video coordinator in the first two years, he was made assistant coach in 1997 and served in the position for 11 seasons. He took over from Pat Riley as head coach in 2008 and the results were immediate as the Heat made the Finals four times in a row between 2011 and 2014. His illustrious career has seen him win two titles, and come this season’s Finals, he and the team will stake a claim for the third.
Erik Spoelstra Knows How To Tap Into His Players’ Strengths And Make Them Tick
The Heat culture has been widely spoken about over the last few weeks, and one prime example was how the team could bounce back from adversity. Spoelstra played his part when the team was in a bit of a stutter earlier in the regular season by doing something unique.
“Tyler Herro was struck by a video that Spoelstra showed them about ‘Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Eminem and how they started, and the manager they had and he was the one rallying the troops, which is Spo [for the Heat],'” Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald revealed. “‘Spo does [this type of thing] every year, but this year has been a little bit more with how up and down the season has been.’”
And it seems to have worked perfectly, as the Heat are now poised to take on the Nuggets in what will be a tough matchup. Can the Heat and Spoelstra win one more series and be crowned champions? Only time will tell.
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