Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
After the summer of 2010, much was made of the decision LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh made to join forces in South Beach and play for the Miami Heat.
The moment it was announced, people started asking about Eric Spoelstra, the head coach for the Heat. Would he remain the head coach, or would Pat Riley return to the bench as he had done in 2006? The reassurance was given that Spoelstra would remain as head coach.
Of course, the question arises about managing so many egos on one team. Much like Phil Jackson had to do with both the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Spoelstra would have to take control of a team full of great players.
In the first three years they have played together, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh have found themselves in the NBA Finals. The first year, they went up against the Dallas Mavericks — a collaboration of players looking for a championship. Dirk Nowitzki led the charge but the contributions from Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and Tyson Chandler helped pave the way for Dallas to win its first title.
In that series, Rick Carlisle showed the world what kind of a coach he was. On paper, the Heat were the better talent and should have mopped the floor with the Mavericks. However, it was the moves Carlisle made that helped the Mavericks overtake the Heat.
Last year, the Heat once again found themselves in the Finals, this time facing the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder. If LeBron is the best player in the league, Kevin Durant is right behind him. As a matter of fact, the Heat and Thunder were pretty similar with talent and abilities. This time, though, Spoelstra got the best of Scott Brooks as LeBron won his first championship.
Fast forward to this season and once again, the Heat are in the Finals. They are going up against an older team in the San Antonio Spurs and once, again they should probably win the championship. Coming off a dominating win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 7, all the momentum should be on their side; especially when you consider the Spurs have had over a week off.
This time, however, Spoelstra isn’t going up against Brooks or Carlisle. Rather, he is facing the best coach in basketball, if not all sports in Gregg Popovich. Popovich is the ultimate chess player when it comes to coaching the Spurs. This is why he has won four titles and looking for a fifth. There isn’t a better coach at making adjustments when their team needs it.
It’s for this reason that Spoelstra has to be on top of his game for the Heat. He may not be able to out-coach Popovich for the entire series, but he will have to out-coach him for at least one game if the Heat are going to win the title.
Many people are looking at LeBron or Tim Duncan as the X-Factor in the series. The real X-Factor in this series isn’t someone who can score the most points, but rather the guy sitting on the end of the Heat’s bench. Spoelstra is the deciding factor for the 2013 Finals, and the moves he makes during the series could very well determine the outcome and who hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Greg Higgins is a Dallas Mavericks and NBA contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greghiggins457, “Like” him on Facebook, and add him to your network on Google.
