Miami Heat News: Erik Spoelstra Named Finalist for NBA Coach of the Year
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Miami Heat News: Erik Spoelstra Named Finalist for NBA Coach of the Year

Erik Spoelstra Miami Heat

The role of Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra in turning around what appeared to be a lost season got a little closer to being recognized on Friday night. Spoelstra was named as one of three finalists in the voting for the 2016-17 NBA Coach of the Year Award and will be competing against San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Houston’s Mike D’Antoni.

In the first few months of this past season, Spoelstra’s Heat squad was beset by injuries, leading them to a miserable 11-30 record for the first half of the campaign. Despite that major handicap and talk of the team trading away key players for future draft picks, the 46-year-old Spoelstra led his team to completely reverse its form. The Heat went 30-11 in the second half and narrowly missed a playoff berth as they were eliminated on the final night of the regular season.

In nine seasons as Miami’s head coach, Spoelstra has compiled a regular season record of 440-282, and has led seven teams to the postseason. Between 2011 and 2014, Miami reached the NBA Finals for four consecutive years, winning back-to-back titles in both 2012 and 2013.

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