Joseph Zucker @@JosephZucker Featured Columnist IV August 22, 2024
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The Miami Heat have seemingly thrived while under adversity in recent years, and that might start with their head coach.
Appearing on The Pat Bev Podcast (via X user @HeatCulture13), Heat legend Udonis Haslem heaped serious praise on Erik Spoelstra, who he said “is at his best when we in the f–king mud.”
“When s–t get grimy, when s–t get rough, when we done lost three or four in a row and people counting the f–king Heat out, that’s when Spo is at his f–king best,” Haslem said. “I watched Spo reinvent himself so many times. I have the ultimate respect for Spo, man. You’re talking about a guy who can literally just sit back right now and has it f–king made and he’s still trying to figure ways to f–king put the Heat back into championship conversations.”
The Athletic’s Jason Quick painted a similar picture in his 2023 profile of Spoelstra.
Veteran big man Kelly Olynyk, who spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Heat, told Quick the coach “runs toward” and “loves” confrontation. David Fizdale, who coached under Spoelstra, said the 53-year-old “understands that to get to the other side, you have to go through the fire.”
Spoelstra coached the Heat to four straight NBA Finals runs and two championships during the Big Three era with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. His work since then may have done more to enhance his coaching reputation, though.
Miami has routinely wrung the most out of its talent and elevated anonymous role players to starring roles. The runs to the 2020 and 2023 Finals also exemplified how the team is its most dangerous as an underdog.
The Heat are staring at a somewhat uncertain future. They appear to have hit their ceiling with Jimmy Butler, who’s eligible to hit free agency in 2025 and is reportedly in no rush to sign an extension.
Assuming there’s a reset to come within the next few seasons, there isn’t a better coach to lead that process than Spoelstra.
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