Erik Spoelstra Articles - Page 31

With the New York Knicks facing the Miami Heat on Friday, Michael Beasley couldn’t help but recall his three stints with the South Beach team during his early days in the NBA. After getting selected second overall in the 2008 draft, the Kansas product spent two seasons with the Heat before getting traded to the […]

Miami Heat big man Hassan Whiteside has been wearing a protective knee brace on his troublesome left knee since returning from a 13-game absence. However, he shed his knee brace early in the Heat’s game against the Orlando Magic. That move did not please Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, who has made it clear that […]

The Miami Heat have a banged-up lineup that is putting Erik Spoelstra’s head coaching acumen to the test. That didn’t stop the Heat from making an upset road win over the Boston Celtics last Wednesday, however, and they will try to get another victory with a number of their key players out of commission Friday […]

The Miami Heat’s 90-85 win over the L.A. Clippers last Saturday wasn’t just an ordinary regular-season victory in the middle of December. It also now serves as a historical bookmark for the Heat, who now has a new all-time coaching wins leader in Erik Spoelstra, who passes Pat Riley after the Clippers game with his […]

Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra have been partners for years. In the same year that Riley became president of the Miami Heat, Spoelstra was brought into the organization as a video coordinator. That was 1995. Since then, Riley coached the Heat a couple of times, racking up win after win with the team, and eventually […]

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is obviously not an objective observer when it comes to close friend and former colleague Dave Fizdale. Nevertheless, Spoelstra believes Fizdale wasn’t given a fair shake in Memphis to lead the Grizzlies through their transition. Per Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald: “You want him to have a fair shot […]

Having merited a whopping four-year, $52 million contract after a brilliant 25-game stretch for the Miami Heat, shooting guard Dion Waiters is now being asked to do more than just be the hot hand from time to time. Head coach Erik Spoelstra wants consistency, and for Waiters, it means using his threat to catch fire […]

The Miami Heat continue to fluctuate in and out of the win column as they seemingly have throughout the entire 2017-18 NBA season. However, even before their embarrassing 95-123 loss to the high-powered Golden State Warriors, the Heat have been notably frustrated with the referees as of late. While there are plenty of issues plaguing Miami […]

With Dwyane Wade’s departure before last season, Dion Waiters has taken over the mantle as the Miami Heat’s go-to guy with the game on the line. He famously made a game-winning 3-pointer to give the Heat a huge win over the Golden State Warriors at home and has had a number of other strong moments […]

The firing of David Fizdale was a tough pill to swallow for plenty in NBA circles, one of them is his colleague Erik Spoelstra, who coached the Miami Heat along with Fizdale before he got his first shot at a head coaching gig with the Memphis Grizzlies to start the 2016-17 season. Yet for many […]

Following his surprise firing from the Memphis Grizzlies, seeing David Fizdale once again on the sidelines of an NBA team remains a possibility, even as early as this season. Prior to his first head coaching job with the Grizzlies, Fizdale was part of the Miami Heat staff, serving as an assistant coach. That said, Heat […]

It’s been more than a year since Dwyane Wade parted ways with the Miami Heat organization, departing for his hometown Chicago Bulls. That resulted into a one-year run after the franchise decided to re-build and go in a different direction, resulting in a consequent buyout and move to the Cleveland Cavaliers to play alongside his […]

It wasn’t long ago when Miami Head coach Erik Spoelstra lashed out at his team for a poor effort in a crushing 120-95 loss to the Indiana Pacers last Sunday. Spoelstra’s critical comments about his team didn’t seem to fall on deaf ears, as his men responded in the best way possible, beating the league-leading […]

The Miami Heat have not had the best of starts to this season so far, yet they are still in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference. However, Erik Spoelstra is obviously not satisfied with his team’s performances, especially with the trend he’s seen in their first 16 games. The South Beach team has […]

If the Miami Heat lacked fire on the court during Sunday’s 120-95 loss at home to the Indiana Pacers, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra provided just what the team lacked during the post-game press conference. Speaking in front of reporters, Spoelstra ripped his team for its sluggishness against Indiana. via Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel: […]

According to a clause agreed upon between the Miami Heat and guard Dion Waiters, he would receive a $1.1 million bonus for suiting up for a minimum 70 games this season in addition to his four-year $52 million contract. There is no gray area in the agreement, only due to the fact that it cannot […]

The Golden State Warriors blew out the Miami Heat at home, 97-80, which should hardly come as a surprise to anyone. However, it was quite shocking to see Heat center Hassan Whiteside playing just 16 minutes, with three points and six rebounds, even though he was healthy enough to play. After the game, Heat coach […]

The Miami Heat are about to face their toughest challenge yet this season as they are scheduled to go toe to toe against the defending champions, Golden State Warriors. Heat coach Erick Spoelstra knows full well that playing a loaded team like the Warriors isn’t going to be easy, and he underscored that sentiment by […]

When he agreed to join the Miami Heat last year, Dion Waiters addressed the team’s need for a reliable shooting guard, especially with the departure of Dwyane Wade that time. He has proven that he can score in bunches, and is not afraid to take on big shots, even with the game on the line. […]

Prior to signing with the Boston Celtics on a four-year deal worth $128 million over this past offseason, All-Star forward Gordon Hayward had strongly considered the Miami Heat as a possible landing spot. In fact, it was one of three final choices alongside the Celtics and Utah Jazz. Despite all that, Heat head coach Erik […]

In the last couple of seasons, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside has emerged as one of the league’s most talented big man. Although he has made his mark primarily through his play defensively, he is becoming an increasingly dependable player on the other end of the floor. This is something that head coach Erik Spoelstra […]

In the first three games of his third campaign, Miami Heat forward Josh Richardson has continued to make a major impact on both ends of the floor. Following his all-around performance in Monday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks where he registered 21 points with two blocks and two steals, head coach Erik Spoelstra spewed much […]

There has suddenly become a growing rivalry between promising big men Joel Embiid and Hassan Whiteside after their comical on-court exchange spewed over to social media earlier this week. This saw both players take personal jabs at each other that has created much entertainment and excitement for their next meeting in the regular season. According […]

Basketball has had a tremendous impact on people outside of the United States. As the game has expanded its borders over the years, it has brought diverse communities from countries all over the world together. The impact the NBA has had, not only in the United States but internationally, is evident as the league has […]

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni has been named the Coach of the Year for the 2016-17 season, edging out candidates Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. D’Antoni was the genius behind the making of James Harden, the “points guard” at the beginning of the season — experiment […]

The NBA has named Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat, Mike D’Antoni of the Houston Rockets, and Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs as the finalists for the Coach of the Year award, as announced on Inside the NBA on TNT. Spoelstra seemed mired in a rebuilding season, losing the first 30 games of the team’s […]

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra had a rather difficult time facing the media for one last time this season after a disappointing end of the year, having won their last three games of the season and still eliminated from the postseason his team fought tooth-and-nail to get into. After team president Pat Riley declared […]

One of the best stories this season is how the Miami Heat have turned around their fortunes after a disastrous start to the campaign. The South Beach team were 29 games below .500 and appeared like they were going to remain at the bottom of the standings. However, things took a dramatic turn when they had […]

Don’t ask Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra how to stop DeMar DeRozan — because after four games against the Toronto Raptors swingman, the team clearly doesn’t have the answers. The All-Star shooting guard exploded for 38 points on Friday night, giving the Raptors a 96-94 win and a slight half-game lead over the Washington […]

The Miami Heat received good news on the condition of their starting shooting guard. After suffering a severe ankle sprain against the Minnesota Timberwolves last month, Dion Waiters is now out of a walking boot and has already started doing some work to get his conditioning back. Head coach Erik Spoelstra confirmed the development, via […]

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was not happy in the least with the ejection of his point guard, Goran Dragic during the third quarter of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. Dragic was ejected along with Lakers shooting guard Jordan Clarkson for a scuffle that happened when the two battled for […]

The NBA Development League announced this week that it will be experimenting with extra referees on the floor. The normal three-man officiating crew will be extended to four and five man crews for nine games starting December 26. While the league is looking to bring improvement to its officiating system, some aren’t happy with this […]

During last summer’s free agency, Hassan Whiteside became one of the more coveted players after his emergence as an elite shot blocker and rebounder. He eventually re-signed with the Miami Heat even with the uncertainty of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh‘s future with the team at that time. With both stars no longer playing in Miami, a lot […]

Phil Jackson‘s incendiary comments have resurfaced with the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the New York Knicks as part of Wednesday night’s ESPN doubleheader. Last month, during an interview with ESPN, the “Zen Master” had made comments about LeBron James‘ departure from the Miami Heat, including a mention of a time when the team stayed in the Cleveland […]

If somehow you feel like ranting about how the center position is not what it used to be or how the Kareem Abdul-Jabbars and Wilt Chamberlains of the world have been lost through the years, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside wants to hear none of it. “I don’t know who ‘they’ are. ‘They’ don’t watch […]

This season marks the 10th anniversary of the Miami Heat‘s “Home Strong” initiative where they honor members of the United States Armed Forces. To celebrate this, the team has planned to wear their Home Strong uniforms this week, and it began in their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday night. Each member of the Heat will […]

With Dwyane Wade now playing with the Chicago Bulls and Chris Bosh‘s future up in the air, the Miami Heat will only have one team captain this season. It was an easy decision to make according to head coach Erik Spoelstra. The 45-year-old bench tactician has named forward Udonis Haslem as the team’s captain once […]

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside is widely considered as one of the rising stars of the league today. After his stellar play last season where he averaged an impressive 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.7 blocks in only 29.1 minutes per game, the 27-year-old looks to build on the momentum he created last […]

The Miami Heat wanted Hassan Whiteside to work on his passing within the flow of the offense, but that wasn’t the advice Shaquille O’Neal gave to him when they crossed paths. According to an AP report, the Heat’s high-priced center talked about the time he met O’Neal and did so in his best Diesel impression. When I met him, he was […]