3. He Overcame Near-Impossible Odds
Before this season, no team had EVER gotten back to .500 after being more than 12 games below.
The Heat were 19 games below… NINETEEN. 😳 pic.twitter.com/V1gWDWY6Ok
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 13, 2017
It would be one thing if Spoelstra was able to bring his team back to an even record after being 13 games under .500. That alone would’ve been unheard of. But to finish 41-41 after starting the season 11-30 is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s not just any unprecedented feat though — no team has ever even come close to this type of in-season turnaround.
Naturally, Miami still had to fall to 19 games under .500 to warrant such a comeback attempt in the first place. Still, it’d be extremely difficult to find any coach that could’ve started winning right out of the gates with Miami’s current roster. Entering the year, Dragic and Whiteside were the Heat’s most statistically accomplished and skilled players by far. But by the time Spoelstra had everyone’s game elevated to previously unforeseen peaks, it was straight back to “winning basketball” down in South Beach.
Next: He Never Considered Tanking
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