Five Reasons Erik Spoelstra Deserves to Win NBA Coach of the Year

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3. He Overcame Near-Impossible Odds

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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Grant is a life-long Miami Heat fan hailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His earliest Heat memories involve Eddie Jones going off on opponents and hoping he'd become the next Michael Jordan. When that didn't pan out, a guy named Dwyane Wade came to Miami and Grant's fandom turned to obsession. He graduated with an English degree from the University of Central Florida and currently resides in Los Angeles.