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There were some complaints through social media about the Miami Heat not having a single player selected to the 2018 NBA All-Star game. Some believed it should have been Hassan Whiteside, while others say Goran Dragic was more deserving of the accolade. But Rick Carlisle, the Dallas Mavericks' head coach and Head of the NBA Coaches Association, does believe the team has an All-Star. It is not a player, however, as according to Ira Winderman from South Florida Sun Sentinel, Carlise called the Heat's head coach, Erik Spoelstra, the team's All-Star.
The Eastern Conference All-Star head coaching position is for Dwane Casey and his Toronto Raptors staff, but Carlisle believes Spoelstra deserves some recognition. And when you start looking at his case, he does. Spoelstra has led a team with no All-Stars to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Currently, Miami has a 28-21 record and is just one and a half game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third seed in the East.
Coach Spo and the Heat have been able to overcome a bunch of injuries in their way, including an extended period without Whiteside and Justise Winslow, a season-ending injury to Dion Waiters, and a couple of games without James Johnson. Spoelstra has made a combination of veterans and G-League players stand out when nobody expected them to.
Rick Carlisle and Erik Spoelstra go way back. In 2011, their teams faced off during the NBA Finals. It was the Heat's first season with the “Big Three” that included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Carlisle's Mavs defeated Miami with a team filled with veterans, including Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Vince Carter, and Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki.
Even though the Heat organization will not have anybody representing the team in the 2018 All-Star game, at least some people acknowledge that what they have accomplished deserves some recognition.
