gotoHcarolina52
05-28-2012, 10:41 AM
He has been criticized by fans, yelled at by Dwyane Wade and blasted by Charles Barkley for not giving the ball more to LeBron James late in games. But Erik Spoelstra has also begun to earn something else from his players and opponents: credit.
There was James’ unprompted testimonial after Thursday’s win at Indiana: “He coached a spectacular series to put us in position to succeed. He made some unbelievable adjustments.” (James asserted earlier in the playoffs that because of Spoelstra, "We're never blind-sided by anything.")
Then there was Bulls guard Richard Hamilton gushing on NBA TV: “Spoelstra doesn’t get enough credit for the job he has done with that team. Awesome job.”
In private interviews, Heat players cite several reasons why Spoelstra is a better coach than a year ago: improved communication, more flexibility and a willingness to take their input.
Not everything has worked, such as starting Dexter Pittman in Game 3 against Indiana. But many of his moves paid dividends recently: starting Shane Battier in Chris Bosh’s absence and having him defend David West; fronting Carmelo Anthony in Game 1 of the Knicks series (which flummoxed him) and often fronting the Pacers' big men (Roy Hibbert said the Heat kept them from getting the ball as much as they wanted); and moving Bosh to center late in the season.
But Heat players said Spoelstra's best adjustment in the final three games of the Pacers series was putting West, instead of Hibbert, in pick-and-rolls "where LeBron and Dwyane can get past him and attack Hibbert," as Battier explained.
And of Spoelstra drawing a $25,000 fine Friday for talking about how much James and Wade are hit in the head, Wade said: "I love it - coach stepping up for his guys."
Contrary to conventional thinking, Battier asserts, “Spo’s job is maybe the most difficult in the NBA because of the level of talent, the expectations. It would be hard to imagine someone else coaching this team. He’s detail-oriented and prepared, and in this league, if you don’t have the details, players know it. He has done as good a job as anyone can with this team.”
Last summer, Spoelstra met with Oregon football coach Chip Kelly, who plays a relentlessly-attacking offense, and implemented some of his ideas on spacing and pacing. The up-tempo approach worked for a while, but players couldn’t maintain it after the All-Star break because of the compacted schedule and mediocre rebounding. “Offensively, Spo’s been more open to thinking outside the box with this team,” Battier said.
But Haslem noted a subtle defensive shift that players appreciated: “We’ve always been a protect-the-paint, non-gambling defense. Now we pride ourselves on being disruptive defensively more than any year I’ve been here. To get our guys in the open floor, you have to maybe gamble a little defensively.”
Bosh, before his injury, said: “You can tell how much effort and hard work Spo put in during the offseason. He’s just gotten better all over the board. You can see in the way he carries himself and delivers his message.”
Bosh said Spoelstra’s willingness to relinquish most of the play-calling during the regular season “was a huge thing because he wants to put his imprint on every game. Sometimes, you just have to let players figure it out.”
Mario Chalmers said Spoelstra called only about 10 plays a game this season and “it made us a better team. We play more freely. I don’t have to look over at him. Last year, he called plays on every possession” except fast breaks. Chalmers said Saturday that Spoelstra is calling more plays in the playoffs "but we're on the same page."
Also, Haslem said this season, “communication between the coaches and players is at the highest it has ever been. This year, Spo’s been real open to a lot of suggestions from players.”
In Wade’s eyes, here’s the biggest change in Spoelstra this year: “Trusting people, everyone from the assistant coaches to the players. When you’re a young coach, you want to control everything. He’s shown the ability to let go some. We commend him for that.” Naturally, appreciation from most of his fan base will come only with a championship.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/#storylink=cpy
There was James’ unprompted testimonial after Thursday’s win at Indiana: “He coached a spectacular series to put us in position to succeed. He made some unbelievable adjustments.” (James asserted earlier in the playoffs that because of Spoelstra, "We're never blind-sided by anything.")
Then there was Bulls guard Richard Hamilton gushing on NBA TV: “Spoelstra doesn’t get enough credit for the job he has done with that team. Awesome job.”
In private interviews, Heat players cite several reasons why Spoelstra is a better coach than a year ago: improved communication, more flexibility and a willingness to take their input.
Not everything has worked, such as starting Dexter Pittman in Game 3 against Indiana. But many of his moves paid dividends recently: starting Shane Battier in Chris Bosh’s absence and having him defend David West; fronting Carmelo Anthony in Game 1 of the Knicks series (which flummoxed him) and often fronting the Pacers' big men (Roy Hibbert said the Heat kept them from getting the ball as much as they wanted); and moving Bosh to center late in the season.
But Heat players said Spoelstra's best adjustment in the final three games of the Pacers series was putting West, instead of Hibbert, in pick-and-rolls "where LeBron and Dwyane can get past him and attack Hibbert," as Battier explained.
And of Spoelstra drawing a $25,000 fine Friday for talking about how much James and Wade are hit in the head, Wade said: "I love it - coach stepping up for his guys."
Contrary to conventional thinking, Battier asserts, “Spo’s job is maybe the most difficult in the NBA because of the level of talent, the expectations. It would be hard to imagine someone else coaching this team. He’s detail-oriented and prepared, and in this league, if you don’t have the details, players know it. He has done as good a job as anyone can with this team.”
Last summer, Spoelstra met with Oregon football coach Chip Kelly, who plays a relentlessly-attacking offense, and implemented some of his ideas on spacing and pacing. The up-tempo approach worked for a while, but players couldn’t maintain it after the All-Star break because of the compacted schedule and mediocre rebounding. “Offensively, Spo’s been more open to thinking outside the box with this team,” Battier said.
But Haslem noted a subtle defensive shift that players appreciated: “We’ve always been a protect-the-paint, non-gambling defense. Now we pride ourselves on being disruptive defensively more than any year I’ve been here. To get our guys in the open floor, you have to maybe gamble a little defensively.”
Bosh, before his injury, said: “You can tell how much effort and hard work Spo put in during the offseason. He’s just gotten better all over the board. You can see in the way he carries himself and delivers his message.”
Bosh said Spoelstra’s willingness to relinquish most of the play-calling during the regular season “was a huge thing because he wants to put his imprint on every game. Sometimes, you just have to let players figure it out.”
Mario Chalmers said Spoelstra called only about 10 plays a game this season and “it made us a better team. We play more freely. I don’t have to look over at him. Last year, he called plays on every possession” except fast breaks. Chalmers said Saturday that Spoelstra is calling more plays in the playoffs "but we're on the same page."
Also, Haslem said this season, “communication between the coaches and players is at the highest it has ever been. This year, Spo’s been real open to a lot of suggestions from players.”
In Wade’s eyes, here’s the biggest change in Spoelstra this year: “Trusting people, everyone from the assistant coaches to the players. When you’re a young coach, you want to control everything. He’s shown the ability to let go some. We commend him for that.” Naturally, appreciation from most of his fan base will come only with a championship.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/#storylink=cpy