When Erik Spoelstra became the head coach of the Miami Heat, he was so fresh-faced it seemed he had just finished a biology final at his university and rushed down to do a press conference shortly afterward. He began with some tough seasons. That is, he didn’t have much a roster to work with in the Eastern Conference.
His rookie season in the 2008-09, he was able to finish the season 43-39 and make the playoffs even with a starting lineup of Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem and Jermaine O’Neal. Many of these players, especially those in the latter half of this group were on their last legs in their career, and certainly couldn’t carry the team offensively.
More from Miami Heat
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Report: Miami Heat hoping to keep key player out of Lillard trade talks
- Grade the Trade: The Heat pass on Lillard to land an MVP in this proposal
- NBA Rumors: Heat have big plans to upgrade frontcourt if they land Lillard
The leading scorers, other than Wade, were Michael Beasley, who averaged 14 points per game, and O’Neal, who scored 13 points per night in 27 games.
The next year, they won 47 games, and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics. But that next offseason, they got LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join the team. The rest is history. Most people, when they consider the team, believe that anybody could have won with that team. I disagree.
The players that encompassed the “big three” were superstars in the league. Wade and James were two players that were somewhat similar in the sense that they both needed the ball in order to create for themselves and for others.
Bosh was primarily a mid-range jump shooter and a back-to-the-basket player, as he had shown while he played for the Toronto Raptors. So how was this all going to work? This is where Spoelstra worked his magic on the team. Naturally, James had the freshest legs, and the more durability because of his youth. He became the team’s primary ball-handler.
That made Wade work on the outside, off the ball. It is something that Wade has never had to do before in his career, but the Heat were able to make it work.
Sir Charles In Charge
Because the Heat didn’t want to clog the lane for James and Wade, the team made Bosh into an outside shooter that would make opposing big men have to leave the lane or risk a wide open three-pointer by Bosh. This strategy didn’t come naturally. It came as a result of losing the NBA Finals in the 2010-11 season to the Dallas Mavericks.
When they lost, a change was needed in their strategy. And it was Spoelstra who implemented that change that got them over the hump.
That brings us to the present season. The team has undergone an unbelievable of injuries and bad luck, even after getting Goran Dragic. Bosh is out for the season with a blood clot, Josh McRoberts is out for the season, and just recently, Dragic sat out against the Celtics.
In the meantime, Hassan Whiteside was ejected from the game against the Celtics and was suspended for the next game.
Being able to herd the cats is what makes (will make) Spoelstra so special as a coach. The Heat are now eighth in the Eastern Conference, still very much in the thick of the playoff hunt. Let’s not forget the most forgotten position on this team: Miami’s head coach.
Next: 50 Greatest NBA Players Of The 1970s
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout