Erik Spoelstra: incompetent, lucky ... One of the Best Coaches in NBA History
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- You’ve likely heard the Erik Spoelstra story: he started in a windowless Miami Heat video room and worked so hard he eventually became head coach. He was the first Asian American coach in any of the four major US sports. He won back-to-back rings with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh and made two finals appearances without superstars. He’s elite, officially one of the 15 all time greatest coaches in NBA History.
But hang on, let’s go back to that “back-to-back rings with superstars” bit because that wasn’t always a feather in his cap. I mean, I’m sure he liked it, but coaching superstars can put you in a tight spot. You’re either incompetent, or lucky. Or, in Erik Spoelstra's case, both.
Written and produced by: Clara Morris
Directed and edited by: Ryan Simmons
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You forgot the 41-41 season in 2016 they were 11-40... instead of tanking they went 30-11... missed playoffs by 1 win no all stars. Just Goran Dragic and friends. That was birth of elite Spo
that was maybe my favorite Heat team. Too bad they didn't get into the playoffs. If there was a play in tournament at that time I bet they get in
Well said.
@@davidriedy5977I hate the play-in man. Really cheapens the season.
@@TeezyfolKKz I get both sides of it tbh. On one hand if my team was the 9th or 10th seed and had a chance to get in due to the play in, I would be happy. Although granted you were probably the 9th or 10th seed for a reason and will probably get blown out in the first round by one of the better teams in the league. Upsets don't tend to happen much in the NBA, especially in a 7 game series. Not like the NFL or March Madness where all it takes is 1 game
@@TeezyfolKKzyes and no. It makes getting those first six seeds that much more important, and allows a spontaneity amongst the 7-10 spots
Riley gave Erik a new contract AFTER his divorce was finalized. That's about as loyal as Pat can get.
Imagine your boss helping you get double your annual pay. Pat is the GOAT team president.
@@raceit502imagined losing the passion to upgrade the team , hiring waived and undrafted talents and twice succumbed to more superior teams
Imagined losing the passion to capture the crown and had only their eyes for one particular whale which is not a player but their annointed one who loves to death a smallball which sometimes backfired on him and made him EXPOSEDTRA!
@@christopherterrell2016 There were two sides of the story ( Pre Bubble and present Miami Heat)
Choice is yours of course bro
Worst take I've ever read. Why? Cause it's terrible English, structure, and babble. Add to that, whatever you're trying to communicate is wrong and not the reality of spolestra as a coach. I think there are 4th grade writing classes for free on RUclips. Also, there's videos on RUclips to prove your flawed take is wrong. Good luck in 5th grade.
@@Dizzelsoul3542Please stop schizo posting 😭😭. Do you really think if it was up to Spo he wouldn’t have gotten a whale like Dame? He doesn’t have final say in how much money the Heat can take on over the tax or what assets to give up in a trade…
Shoutout to the heat for allowing a coach the time to actually build a culture
So many NBA fans thought no one could or would ever touch Popovich’s legacy or longevity.
We were wrong. And it’s good for the game that we were wrong!
@@withalittlehelpfrom3 1. Pop isn't even the most successful coach of his era.
2. Spo is 3 rings and like a decade from getting near Pop.
@@holstorrsceadus1990but by coaching standards, that’s not insanely far (the rings are a lot but you get what I’m saying), I think he meant that it’s seemed like no front office was going to give the long leash that was provided to legendary coaches, like Pop, at the beginning of their tenures anymore. But thanks to Pat, Spo was given the time to learn as a coach and develop a real culture to his teams that have overachieved immensely in the playoffs
This is what AP is about to do to the Raiders.
I would say that the only more successful coach is Phil Jackson and I personally like Popovich's coaching style better
What helped a lot with people's opinion on him is that, over the years since the Big 3, other teams have assembled super teams and failed catastrophically, showing that no, just having a team of a bunch of superstars is NOT all it takes and not just anyone can coach a team like that. That really helped put the Heatles Era into a better perspective for people.
There's a lot of ego to deal with. Spo has proven he can deal with that. Especially coach killer Lebron.
The only big 3 super team I can think of that failed is the nets with kd kyrie and harden and that's only because of injuries and distractions off the court that broke the team up what other super teams have failed catastrophically
@@greekfreak8473 Everyone forgets about the Kobe, Dwight, Nash lakers team. That was the first one formed after the Heatles and was super hyped up until it failed miserably.
@@kabinyo_creations dwight and nash weren't super stars anymore when they joined the Lakers they were good players but not in their primes like lebron wade and Bosh that team failing was a surprise but it wasn't a huge surprise like it would have been if the heatles have failed
@@greekfreak8473 Boston with Kyrie, Sixers, Lakers with Russ. I may have exaggerated by saying "failed catastrophically", the bigger point was that winning a title isn't as simple as just amassing the most superstar players, and trading a bunch of quality depth players for one (usually aging) superstar has been proven to be detrimental more often than not in recent years. And I think that most people now understand that the idea of "Anyone could coach that Heat team to a Title" was stupid and naive.
16-17 was the big turning point year for Spo and that basically gets brushed over here for some reason. He took a team composed of nothing but scrap parts after Wade left and Bosh got hurt from an 11-30 first half to a 30-11 second half that almost put them in the playoffs. Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Justise Winslow, Hassan Whiteside, Wayne Ellington, & Josh McRoberts were for a brief stretch the most feared team in the conference. THAT was when people really turned on Spo being a great coach, not the Butler years.
I get it's easier to make the point when talking about finals appearances but it's just sloppy to ignore that stretch between greatness. Because he was one of the only reasons the team was even competent and why his reputation is as good as it today.
As I stated in my own comment, I believe that a big part of the reason he was overlooked and/or underrated up until a couple years ago was because he's part of LeBron's story and how the people that tell it tend not to give others proper credit but are not shy to give them unjust blame. The narrative "LeBron has never played for a quality head coach" was pervasive for over a decade, and that's including the 4 years in Miami. Every time you would tell a hardcore LeBron fan that Spo is a great coach, the most frequent rebuttal they'd have is "Where are his rings without LeBron?" as if rings are the only thing that makes a great head coach great. Funny that rings are a perfectly fine measure for coaches who don't step foot on the court but not for the players that actually do.
@@davidmartinez52420 but can I say he's just decent in Miami and he just improved as they were rebuilding. Nobody gave Kerr credit either, people were memeing that "he has to coach now" when Durant left, curry and Klay got injured but he stepped up without them. Having great players will overshadow a coach unless your Phil jackson
@@mico5536 Spo has been more than decent for a long time, people are just too hung up on regular season record and rings. The Heat have consistently outperformed expectations and he has a lot to do with that. Kerr has had detractors from the very beginning and still does now, but the majority opinion is that he's a great coach. The opinions about Phil tend to vary depending on who you ask. Some have said for years that he got by off the back of Jordan & Pippen then Shaq & Kobe, but now others(LeBron fans mostly) try to give him most of the credit for the Bulls' success just to spite Jordan. Going back to Spo and LeBron, I get what you're saying about coaches being overshadowed by great players but the way Spo gets disrespected by the vast majority of LeBron fans is beyond just being overshadowed. Many will literally tell you Spo was and is not that good of a coach who just got carried by LeBron. The need to stick to the "never had a good head coach" narrative is way too strong for them to ever give Spo any credit.
Eh i totally agree but in terms of narrative construction for a short form video it makes sense she skipped over it given how it doesn't jive with the greater arcs
sure but then you're just not telling the full story. I'd rather things be actually accurate rather than filling into some sentimental storytelling box. These prism videos should be more interesting than just peak -- valley -- peak again @@DomClancy
The best coach in the NBA, the frame of HEAT culture, the man who took an 8th seed to the Finals. So happy he’s my team’s coach. Never want anyone else.
It feels so secure as a Miami fan to have such a great coach like Spo. Pat Reilly being in management is also super dope. GO HEAT! 🔥
It feels so secure as a Miami fan to have such a great coach like Spo. Pat Reilly being in management is also super dope. GO HEAT! 🔥
Your team? Oh wow the owner of the Heat watches SB
@@whatwelearnedweird thing to get pedantic over
@@whatwelearned cry more
Heat culture and Spurs culture define those two franchises. Respect to Spoelstra and Popovich for crafting those values from scratch.
Spurs culture was Timmy not Pop. You can look at the spurs before and after Timmy and see that the difference maker wasn't pop.
@@rambhaskar6728 HA HA HA HA
spoelstra and pat riley
@@robert-h2xhe’s right
@@rambhaskar6728and David Robinson before him. If it's all Pop, Wemby should have them make the playoffs at least 10 years in a row.
Last year's finals was two teams with coaches who've been with their teams 8 and 14 years respectively. That's what happens when you give a coach time and respect.
yep
I still think it's great that Michael Malone has gotten as long of a leash as he did with Denver after his short stint with the Kings, even with the losing seasons early on.
Erik Spoelstra is an overrated bum he brings down talented teams repeatedly I'm starting to think he's Pat Riley's secret lover can't stand the guy
This video is a testament to how the NBA/sports media is not worth paying attention to.
Yea, but we fans are suckers believing every single thing in the media every damn day. Haha.
Erik Spoelstra is an overrated bum he brings down talented teams repeatedly I'm starting to think he's Pat Riley's secret lover can't stand the guy
As a heat fan, I am so happy we have kept spo for all of these years. He is the best coach in the nba today bar none. It’s funny that he got more respect making and losing 2 finals in the butler era then anything he ever did in the big 3 era, but the media has never been accused of being knowledgeable about the ins and outs of basketball. There is no other coach I would rather have for Miami then coach Spo.
Pop better
As a Celtics fan, you know how much I hate the Heat. However, my respect for Spo is only paralleled by Popovich - Spo and the Heat continually over achieve every year, and no one ever goes into a Miami Heat game expecting an easy win. I’m glad that the enduring image is of Spoelstra the Elite.
How about that bam block on Tatum
@@AKidCalledPedro A highlight, or a lowlight, of a long and storied history between two great teams 😉
This is how I feel about Brad Stevens lol - a heat fan
disagree heavily about popovich. he has a great legacy thanks to tim duncan but since tim retired and kawhi left he has shown the game has passed him by. he's using wemby wrong and the spurs are one of the worst teams in the league, but if he was running a pick and roll system and stopped having wemby take jumpshots the spurs would be battling for a playoff spot right now.
wemby is shooting 74% within 5 feet of the basket. for reference 3peat Lakers Shaq was shooting 76%. however, wembanyama has the worst shooting efficiency *in the league* from 15 feet or further from the basket, and pop has him taking 5 threes a game.
also, he's trying really hard to get wemby to run the offense too and wembanyama's turnover numbers are outrageous. just treat him like amare on the suns and let him pick and roll forever and the spurs would have won a lot more games than 11 by the all star break. they can't possibly be tanking... they already won the tank. they got their guy. pop is just trying to force him to be joel embiid and nikola jokic, but that's not wemby's game. after 50 games he should know what he was with wemby but he's still using him so badly wrong.
pop needs to retire and let the spurs move on or the spurs will never win with wemby
@@AKidCalledPedro my favorite moment of that 2020 ECF
Spoelstra deserves the Enshrinement Doc Rivers never deserved.
One is atrociously underrated while the other is atrociously overrated
the overrated coach who keeps getting hired somehow.
Spoelstra never became famous for blowing 3-1 or 3-2 leads
This is what you get when LeBron is on your team. His fans will do anything to rise LBJ and if everyone else needs to be thrown under the bus in order to elevated they’ll do it.
How is he still getting coaching positions? This man is not a good coach
Agreed
I hope everyone recognizes that when he started playing Bosh at the 5 even if it was for obvious reasons like putting his best 5 out there. That was truly the turning point for modern nba lineups.
Erick Spolstra is the epitome of heat culture, from working as a video coordinator to working his way up as HC assistant to now being one of the best coaches of all time even when some in the heat fanbase wanted to get rid of him back the early 2010's.
No way would I ever have thought he'd still be coaching given that he had to survive so many big egos. Top work
Speaking for heat fans we are forever blessed we found our coach within the building
Jimmy Butler has been a superstar in Miami. He's just a two-way superstar who saves his best performances for the postseason, so he doesn't average 30 a game during the regular season. He hasn't been quite the player that LeBron was from 2012-2014 or that Wade was from 2005-2010, but Butler was on that level nonethless from 2020-2023. All credit to Spo, but it should be obvious that Butler was a superstar, if he still isn't, based on his performances in the 2020 Finals, 2022 East Finals and the 2023 East First Round. Sure, Jimmy was spent by the Finals last season, but that's because he was really banged up and put the Heat on his back to get them there in the first place. Show the man some respect, SB.
- Celtics fan
ya hes the kind of superstart that actually saves his best for the playoffs unlike some
Exactly. He put up Magic Johnson type numbers in the finals while guarding Lebron, broke record after record in 2022, and then averaged 38 ppg against the best defense in the league a year later. SB was offbase here
In 2020 he wasnt a superstar "yet". Thats why Spo gets some credit from that run. Of course since then, Butler is their new face, but even when they made in as the 8th seed, Butler wasn't exactly playing great the whole playoffs. Yes, he did carry them in the 1st round, and he did amazing job from time to time when trash talking Grant Williams, but he wasn't all that superior outside of those big performances... so the team and Spo included, have to get some respect.
@@aitlinyeah I would say 2022 and 2023 he might have been a super star but in 2020 he wasn’t a super star he wasn’t even getting 20 points in some of the playoff
He did go insane when Miami got hurt but every all star can do that
@@aitlinokay not every but half of them can atleast but him winning games was what made it better still I would say it was 2022 and 2023
Forgot to mention that a major contributing factor for the Heat missing the playoffs for the first year without LeBron was the 20 games Wade missed and the 44 games Bosh missed. They only missed the playoffs by one game, too. They consistently outperformed expectations, which is the mark of good coaching. The biggest detriment to Spo's career is being in LeBron's shadow which has a way of undervaluing people in ways rarely seen for other players to promote a perpetual underdog narrative about LeBron and how he basically has always had to do it by himself. For example: Spo gets criticized for needing the big 3 to win titles and he didn't really do anything, meanwhile Phil Jackson gets the opposite and he's given more credit for those 6 rings than Jordan does by many people. Tons of us have been saying for years that Spo is a great coach, and I'm glad he's finally getting the recognition he deserves.
Spo was never in Bron’s shadow. The film clearly shows Spo never blinked, while Bron was carried in 2013 & clearly quit in 2014. Spo rallied the troops in spite of Bron’s diva behavior. Bron wanted Spo gone, the fact that it didn’t happens means Spo was the tree, LeBron was the shadow. Spo’s success destroys the notion that Bron has never had an all-time coach. He has…he didn’t want him.
@@TeezyfolKKz I should've said narrative shadow. Spo's coaching ability has been getting disrespected for years by most of LeBron's fans and members of the media that shill for him because of the "LeBron has never had a quality head coach" narrative. Any and every time myself and others would defend Spo as a coach, the hordes of LeBron fans would be quick to fight against that by totally disparaging his coaching ability and pointing to his "lack of success" without LeBron. That last part you said, "Spo's success destroys the notion that LeBron has never had an all time head coach", has only finally started to be recognized just the last couple years. From the time LeBron left Miami until 2020(maybe even after that), Spo wasn't getting anywhere near the credit and respect he deserved.
@@TeezyfolKKz Tbf coaches can get better. Ty lue with Bron was a Bron merchant but now he actually coaches. Mike Brown was always known as an ass coach, but now he's one of the better coaches for the Kings. I don't think Spo was as good of a coach as he is now, but he was still definitely a good coach back then. And saying Bron was carried in 2013 is horrendous cope and just wrong. And he didn't quit in 2014, it's just his running mate was playing on one knee basically. And it wasn't only LeBron, the story goes that Bron, Wade, and Bosh all went to Pat Riley and asked if he ever wanted to coach again, but then Pat told them that they're sticking with Spo through and through. It's obvious you hate Bron but at least TRY and be objective.
@@joeasuncion2891 when i say quit in 2014, I mean the finals. He never once’s attempted to attack Kawhi. He laid down and got his numbers when the game ended way beyond reach. I don’t think not liking or hating someone means you can’t be objective about them.
@@joeasuncion2891 To be fair, Ty Lue being a Bron merchant and an excellent play-offs tactitian is true at the same time ever since. Nonetheless, recognizing a coach's positive impact is way harder when he's coaching superstars, especially GOAT candidates like LeBron.
having doc on the 15 greatest coaches of all times really seems so weird to me.
I thought the exact same thing. Then I looked up the numbers. He's 8th all time in wins with 1100. He's nipping at the heels of Phil Jackson. If he coaches a couple more years he might pass Jackson, Sloan,Riley, and Karl. You kinda have to put him on the list.
@@mjwbulich I understand that. IDK if this is a unpopular opinion necessarily, but a majority of Doc Rivers career feels like a coach chasing stats. He inherits superstars rather than develops them. I don't remember a time where Doc actually developed a superstar of his own ( Deandre Jordan is good but no superstar). Aside from that 2008 Celtics team, he doesn't take teams to the next level.
It explains why his regular season wins record is so great, hes so good at networking, that he inherits superstars to stat pad his resume. But true coaching great show what they're made of in the playoffs or when developing players, which Doc has failed to do. It explains why Doc is so famous for not using young guys on his rosters...he just doesn't know how to develop players. And his regular season wins stat becomes less impressive when you realize he should have those numbers considering the rosters he's had.
Pop mentored Tony Parker, Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard to stardom
Phil Jackson mentored Kobe Bryant to stardom
Steve Kerr took Curry and the young Warriors to the next level
It feels like every coach is known for doing something noetworthy, but for Doc, idk what that is aside from choking.
@@ZentrixXentrix Doc makes mediocre teams overachieve (3-1 lead vs Pistons as the 8th seed; the in-between of Lob City and the Kawhi Clippers), but he also makes good teams underachieve (pretty much everything else on his resume, and yes that includes 2008 where they're pushed to 7 games in the first two rounds as overwhelming favorites).
The knocks on Spo, Kerr, and Doc are that they wouldn't win without a superteam. Spo overcame it since 2016, Kerr did it in 2022. Doc didn't have anything close to it.
he's a generational brown noser and used car salesman. actually disgusting to have him even be mentioned on that list. he's milked his run with the magic his entire life
@@mjwbulich inheriting super teams for 90% of your career will get you some wins. but apparently not titles
Talking about Spo and not about 30-11 run to end 2016 is crazy. He coached a team of Dragic, Waiters, and Whiteside 1 game out of the playoffs.
They got to the playoffs in 2016 where they were 1 win shy of facing LeBron in the ECF. I think you meant 2015
@@ChrisChanSajelan No that team had Wade, Johnson, and Deng. Next year was definitely more impressive.
Lot of stuff could have been mentioned, like the 10-31 to 31-10 turnaround in 2016, the Heat’s still being a 3rd seed in 2015 immediately after Bron’s exit, what the rosters looked like post Bron exit or the Heat’s ability to recover without ever intentionally tanking or a pick higher than #10
YES! I love the story of Erik Spoelstra and his hard work to make the most of everything, like his career. Thank you SB, much appreciated
Reminds me of Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. Young, zero-experience manager endorsed by greats of the game appointed at one of England’s biggest clubs. Has constant calls for his head when the team stumbles to consecutive 8th place finishes in the league, but when he crafts a genuinely elite, title challenging young team, it’s still difficult for the football community to shake that inexperienced, incompetent image of him they’ve built up in their heads.
Every Filipino basketball fan knows Spo. Like the 1st NBA coach they remember. Everyone was wildin when they found out Spo had Filipino roots. Almost during the whole of LeBron's stay in Miami there was a news segment on Spo especially during the playoffs. fun times
Great writing. Glad that you always directed the narrative back to which prism he was viewed by. It’s easy to miss the point of the show by turning this into just “Rewinder: Full Career edition,” but this is its own unique entity. Thanks for the attention to detail.
Who could've thought that a former video coordinator would turned out to be one of best head coach in NBA history.
He may not be associated to the so called "Pinoy Pride" in his old root in the Philippines but what he accomplished as a coach is something that his fellow Filipino countrymen should be proud of.
This used to be a more common narrative in the US: start in the mail room and end up in the executive suite. Nowadays the C-suite is occupied almost exclusively by people who started out wealthy.
Oh c'mon... during the Big 3 era, Filipinoes are doing that Pinoy Pride stuff. I know because I hated it.
@@narumifujishima7504 It also kind of annoyed me as a Jazz fan seeing so much of that stuff for Jordan Clarkson, but I guess there's nothing wrong with supporting one's own. They just go a bit overboard, IMO, lol
Love when you narrate the videos.Your voice is calming/relaxing to listen to.👏🏿👏🏿
I was today years old when I got to know Eric Spoelstra was Asian American
I wish this incorporated more of his in game tactics and adjustments in big games than just espn clickbait narratives compilation on him.
Be fair: ESPN would have had some hysterical commentary and amped up the conflicts to 11. There are plenty of Xs and Os sites, and this isn't one of them. It's a narrative arc, not shifts in tactics.
I might be wrong, but the whole "The Prism" series is about how the player/coach/exec was viewed by the media.
@181cameron Yeah the prism series is essentially a look at how the featured individual is 'viewed'. So by it's very nature it's going to mostly feature media quotes and hyperbole from sports writers, or in this case, an angry fan site.
Should have described the bubble. People forget and the internet is forever. Love Spo.
The thing that's made me always know how good a coach he is, is how the heat role players step up in the playoffs. In the Heatles era it was Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, while in the Jimmy Buckets era its been Max Strus, Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson, K Love.. when the superstars get swarmed or have a bad night in the playoffs, it's those guys who need to step up, and the Heat guys consistently turn into all star-level players. Which only happens when you're extremely well coached imo.
Spo is a legend
Great job as always, Clara and Secret Base!
The womans voice is so melodious. Erik Spoelstra is one of the greatest ever.
I like Clara a whole lot but melodious is not she hahaha that's kinda what I like about her voice though. It works perfectly for her dry humor.
@@TheBINIBALLyeah maybe he’s into the whole dry humor tone
@@TeezyfolKKz fair enough for some people dry = melody I guess lol
we love clara morris ❤
I like the sort-of calm, relaxing voice this person has. Reminds me of my late grandmother. Great job telling us this story!
Idc what anyone says, Erik Spoelstra is one of the greatest coaches ever, while curry gets all the praise for changing the game, people who watched basketball back then knew it was being pushed to that point by players and coaches far before Curry became a superstar, Spoelstra being one of them, by further legitimizing the small ball lineups with LeBron at the PF and Bosh as the Center and pushing him to the 3 point line and being one of the first teams to win like that
Be quiet trolll
Rewinder: 2006 Orange Bowl 3OTs
Beef History: Lindros vs Flyers Organization
Overlap: Greatest College Football Coach (Saban) and the Greatest NFL Coach (Belichick) coaching in the same division
Beef History: Phil Jackson and Pat Riley
Untitled: Reggie Miller
Untitled: Tracy McGrady
Untitled: Ken Griffey Junior
Untitled: Carl Yastrzemski
Untitled: Ted Williams
Untitled: Jim Kelly
Collapse: Early 90s Bills
Prism: Steph Curry and all those mid major players
Rewinder: The Catch By Willie
Rewinder: Wide Right I, Wide Right II
Rewinder: Hank Aaron and Bonds breaking the respective HR record
Untitled: Don Nelson
Shout out to the one and only Spoelstradamus. What's in the cup, coach? *Don't worry about it.*
genuinely surprised they didn't discuss the whole "don't you ever get the itch to coach again?" Bron and Riley situation
James and Wade were MAD DISRESPECTFUL to Spo while still not being All Time Greats in 2010.
Bringing up 9 thousand people you signed a petition but not paying attention to the comments on this video is insane
That my coach, I've never entertained any Spo slander. He's the best
Lebron, Wade, and Bosh went to Riley’s office after they started the season 9-8 demanding Spoelstra be fired. Riley said 1) GTFO of my office. 2) it’s not the coach it’s you. Figure it out
Hate how people will try to discredit him because he had Lebron yet praise Phil Jackson for having JORDAN, SHAQ, & KOBE all in their prime
When you've got a squad of future HoFers like that, personality management becomes just as much a priority as the on-court product. Think he handled that with class. Never lost faith in the guy
As a Popovich guy, I was always hating on Spo, even if Pop himself always respected the guy.
Only after the 2020 finals did I realize just how brilliant he was. I should’ve figured that out from the 2009 season, but still: better late than never
It's an eternal debate: is the coach great because of his players or great in spite of his players? Few escape it. Larry Brown is an exception by getting the Pistons to the title without a true star. But now Spo has done it as well. So, regarding Pop, he only did it with the best payer of his generation, Tim Duncan.
And that's BS. As in so many things, Shaq is dead wrong, usually because he is trying to make his gigantic insecure ass feel better about himself. Coaches matter. A lot.
@@David-iv6je so much this!
I recently saw someone hold up the 2004 Pistons as the reason Pop actually isn’t that great because Larry Brown was able to win without a top 5 player.
Turns out Ben Wallace made the 2nd All NBA Team that season!
So even that team had a top 10 player that season, and then said team got beaten by Pop himself.
Coaching matters, always.
The Heat definitely showed up in 2020, but the Lakers sweep the Heat that year if Bron doesn’t go hunting for the FMVP. The Heat lost too much to injury.
I wish they had playlists arranged in narrators. I love how she narrates these videos
I love Clara’s videos so much - great insights tinged with dry wit and good humor.
@Secret Base…
10:17-10:20. The Heat were bad in 2014-15 because Dwade missed 20 games, CBosh missed 48 games, and their starting pg missed 57 games. They weren’t bad because just Lebron left, thought you guys would know that.
Being a young coach and have to coach those superstars is not easy, have to fight the egos of the team, the media, the cricisim. There were so much outside noise on that year. Its the hardest job for a young coach you can imagined. But Spo manage to beat those challenges he actually answers the press well despite the attack on him. Spo learn from his experiences every year thats how coaches should do but most NBA teams fire their coaches right away after a failed season. Also big credit to Riley for giving Spo a chance and believing on hin despite the noise on Spos coaching job. He stick and trust his system. Look at Steve Nash for example he had Harden, Yrving and Durant for the Nets the most combined susperstar offensively in pts averaging 90 pts per game. Yet they havent find success in the playoffs let alone not making to the conference finals. Spo has become a great coach every years hes been the most dangerous coach right now esp in the playoffs.
Pat Riley did the one thing Phil Jackson couldn’t do when he went into management; he knew there was multiple ways to do things and gave spo space and time to figure it out whereas Phil demanded that fisher and Hornacek run the triangle and do things exactly how he did them.
Butler is definitely a superstar. Don't disrespect my guy like that.
Nah. He turns on the jets in the playoffs, but so does Jamal Murray, and you wouldn't call him a superstar
This one is elite no pun intended. I often criticize spo for a lot of things myself throughout the yrs, but nobody is better suited for coaching than him. We all make mistakes and if he leads us to a sinking ship, then gdi we're sinking with him in miami. He is iconic and definitely the destined future godfather himself. He's a competitor and wants to win, and u can't for anything else besides that from ur coach. He obsesses abt winning, the players he looks for obsess abt winning, I obsess to see us win, and the fanbase all obsesses. Nobody wants to lose and gotta respect somebody who will do everything and anything at all costs to not let it happen. Coach spo>>>
Huge fan of this coach. There's a very good reason Miami is hanging on to him. Give him pieces and he'll make something work.
It seems like one of the biggest defining traits of “legendary status” in sports is to succeed with multiple cores. It’s one thing to have success with a certain group, when the group changes and you still succeed, that’s when you become a true legend.
Good work, Clara and team! I guess I had lost touch w/ the NBA enough that I didn’t even realize Spoelstra was now seen as an elite coach. But this is a cool story, and I’m happy it’s turned out well for him!
This one hit so different because I remember almost every single moment of this when it was happening in live time
Love Spo. I also think this recent iteration of the Heat should show that Butler should be recognized as one of the best players of the past 5 years or so. He doesn't seem to get enough credit. He's been the best player on two Finals runs and if Dragic doesn't get hurt who knows what happens against LA.
The Bosh era Heat was also a big what if I'm sad we didn't get to see. Bosh's, like Love's contributions and sacrifices to winning, were not appreciated by the media.
The fact Doc Rivers is on the "15 greatest" list tells me everything I need to know about it...
This might sound crazy but I truly believe that once this man retires he will be considered the greatest coach, at least top 3 this man is special
He is still young and plenty of coaching years left so he is on the pace to become the greatest of all time. If he manage to get 5 more rings and become the most coaching wins of all time. Right now he is almost top 10 in wins below the age of 60.
Clara, Jon, and Kofie are my big three storytellers at Secret Base ^_^
This guy can pick any 5 players from the street and make NBA playoffs. Heat's abysmal line up after Lebron but still continue to make playoffs is a testament to how good of a coach this guy is. Its unbelievable how the media knows nothing before. Lebron never had a title before coming to the Heat but yet they talk as if coach is the issue if they did not win the title. But looking now, Lebron only has 4 titles I think (one was lucky due to COVID) and under Spo was his most successful run.
Spo always had a cool and calm demeanor about him. Even during the time the media and some of his players were gladly bashing him, he always seemed unfazed by everything.
This is exactly why Adrian Griffin shouldn’t have been fired. Just because your team doesn’t love your coach doesn’t make them bad. In fact, from experience, sometimes contention with a coach can actually bring a team closer together.
It's wild to me how all these fans and media voices react to the normal, completely expected fluctuation of a given sports team's record. If a team is winning one year, the coach is great and will always be great. If they're losing the next year, the coach is bad and has always been bad, until they start winning again.
Great video as always, secret base! I love your stuff!
The past couple years have solidified him as a successful coach.
Blessed to have seen spo’s tenure as a Miami fan, he brought a lot of pride back to Miami
I'm so lucky to have Erik Spoelstra coaching my team, he's an absolute legend man 🔥
He hasn't won anything since the three amigos joined forces. Wade, Bosh and Lebron made him looked relevant. In the NBA, players are more important than coaches.
I will die on the hill that is him being the best coach that got the most out of Lebron
Nothing new but Bron has always shown he's the smartest b-ball head in the room and his coach is always first one to get blame. He has always been the player coach .
Yeah but bron is not a playing coach he's dumb
steroid user Lebron is not the smartest in the room. HIs steroid using ass wanted spo fired.
Can we acknowledge the balls on Pat Riley to stick by a brand new coach through losing years, through one of the greatest super teams, and through the rebuild after? Riley saw something great in Spoelstra and advocated for him through thick and thin. Can you think of a coach who wasn't fired after half the things Spoelstra went through? Riley was proven right, but Spoelstra still has a lot of time left as head coach. I think we still haven't seen Spoelstra's ceiling.
Amazing how once Lebron left the Heat Spo was quickly recognized as a genius and the Heat actually began to implement an actually offense that relied on ball movement and teamwork. Just a coincidence I'm sure.
A star player bumping a coach? That sounds familiar...
INTRODUCING DOC RIVERS!
I like how everyone tries to act like LeBron left and the Heat were terrible because of it. LeBron left, Ray Allen retired, D Wade got hurt, Chris Bosh got blood clots, most of the team from the previous year was either injured or had left the team and they had a bad season. The very next year, they were back in the playoffs and unfortunately lost in the divisional round due to Bosh's blood clots returning.
0:17 without superstars????? Media brainwashing. Jimmy is the best player in the league 😂😂😂
Been waiting on this video. Heat culture is so underrated
Hopefully Joe Mazzulla would also go through the same journey since he's reminding me of Spo a lot during his early years.
Jimmy Butler IS a SUPERSTAR...AND quite FRANKLY after WHAT he DID in the FINALS and the CONTINUATION of his GROWTH this YEAR so is BAM ADEBAYO!!! STOP the DISRESPECT!!! Spoe is the BEST Coach IN the L, BUT he has 2 SUPERSTARS!!!
hey, secret base. i’ve been watching your collapse series for a year or two now, and i want y’all to bring it back. if you do, can you do the collapse of the 2018 or 2006 or even 1985 bears? (if you couldn’t tell i’m a bears fan lol) it would be very interesting to me and many others to see how my bears fell off so quick! thank you for listening to my presentation.
3:25 iconic
The image with Clara's commentary was/is/will forever be art.
This is lowkey a bad video. The Heat weren't that bad after Lebron left; if Bosh hadn't gotten injured, Spo leads them back to the ECF. The video completely glosses over his 30-11 stretch in 2016 with Goran Dragic as the number one option. Plus, Jimmy Butler is undoubtedly a superstar. 40 point triple double in the finals, 35 point triple double in the finals, 56 and 9 on the Bucks, 45 on the Hawks, 47-9-8 against the Celtics in Game 6 of 2022 for Coach Spo and that's only like half of his legendary playoff games as a Miami Heat player.
As an Asian-American, Erik Spoelstra is one of my heroes. We are not a very visible minority group, but when are it is assumed we are docile and nerds. Asian-Americans like Spoelstra showed we can be leaders and be taken seriously.
Clara killed this one. Hitting that stride. I predict at least seven championships
Man this dude getting called one of the coaching goats just because Wade was there and that's where lebron decided to jump ship to
Erik Spoelstra is - without a doubt - one of the NBA’s greatest ever coaches. What makes Coach Spo a great coach is his ability to inspire his players to be the best players they can be, and also to buy into a tough-minded culture where grit, toughness and determination are always the most important things.
And you don’t have to be a superstar to be one of Erik Spoelstra’s guys. Prove yourself to him, and he’ll always have your back. And he’ll help you become a winner. End of story.
I also feel like people don't acknowledge the diversity in what makes a Great coach. There are people who re-write the rules of the game with Kerr and that flow motion offense, people who have their team so well disciplined and prepared that they can win with throwaways like Spoelstra, or they're calming presences that have the people skills and the strength of mind to balance humongous egos against the need for team basketball to prevail like Phil. That's not to say these coaches are JUST those things but they each have a different calling card/uniqueness that makes them a great coach in their own right. Holding everyone to the same criteria is dumb especially with so many ways to win in the NBA and I wish more people would see that smh.
Riley always has his back. A front office guy like that who backs up his coach even when coach killer Lebron wants him out is rare indeed. What I'm saying, perhaps all too obviously, is that Riley's insane drive to succeed is where it all started. Give him some credit for hiring Spoestra in the first place, and then backing him up whenever a player wanted to play politics.
Ngl, myself and every heat fan I knew at one time all agreed that he had to go in order for them to come back post lebron. Yeah they’ve done fine
Is Spoelstra a vampire?! He hasn't aged in his entire coaching career.
4:50 That is one example of a big mouth trying to bite more than it can chew on, and not being responsible. That clip haunted Spo for the rest of the years until LeBron left and it still haunts LeBron to this day.
Pat stole Stan's title
Pat gave chances to Erik and it paid off. When a legendary coach doin a legendary succession move adding to his basketball legacy.
The best to ever do it, Heat fan for life! We don’t quit we fight to the end!
Coach Spo is an all time great and HIGHLY respected here in the city. He’s proven to be elite regardless of the “talent” on the roster.
Clara is the low key gem of Secret Base.
I dont think I'd ever look at what the Miami Heat does with nobody g-league and bottom rung drafts and think Erik Spoelstra is a bad to mid coach. He sees their abilities and is able to get them to perform at a higher level. Then those players get signed elsewhere and are not able to reach their previous heights.
It's a crime Spo has never won a coach of the year award
same as Phil Jackson
nothing to dislike about him
If Pat believes in him he'd do more to give Spo and Jimmy the best shot to win look what Mark Cuban is at least trying to give Luka