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Miami legend Dwyane Wade praised Fil-American coach Erik Spoelstra for the way he has led the Heat to two wins from advancing to the NBA Finals.
Wade said Spoelstra should get more compliments after the Heat won the first two games of their NBA Eastern Conference Finals series with the Boston Celtics.
“He doesn’t get enough credit,” Wade was quoted as saying by the Miami Herald.
Wade was part of the star-studded trio that included LeBron James and Chris Bosh, who won two NBA championships with Spoelstra in 2012 and 2013.
But the Heat’s current playoff streak might be more remarkable than those champion teams with pieces that many said fit their system.
Jimmy Butler has become the resident leader of the Heat, while Spoelstra has been making the most of hard-working Bam Adebayo, rookie Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic, to name a few.
READ: Heat burn Celtics again to take 2-0 lead in Eastern Conference Finals
Spo doesn’t care about credit. She doesn’t care at all. But I mean, you look around the league. I know he’s in Miami and he’s been raised. But if he was losing and he wasn’t a good coach, he still wouldn’t be there, ”Wade said of alternate president and former Heat coach Pat Riley.
“We know Pat Riley. We know that Pat Riley is ruthless. It wouldn’t be there yet. So being able to give him that grace period to learn as a young coach was definitely beneficial. But he’s taken that and run with it. “
Wade said the current career is one of the many wonderful things that happened in Spoelstra’s coaching career that began in 2009.
“You won’t get enough credit for the big 3 era because people think that if you put the talent together, you’re just going to win,” Wade said. “That’s not true. We had an incredible general who led us to those championships and the success we had, and continues to do so.
“He has shown with various teams, with Dion Waiters and James Johnson, that that team came and showed what they could do in that second half of the season,” Wade added.
Wade was referring to the Heat’s 2016-17 campaign that started 11-30 but nearly made the playoffs after reversing the trend with a 30-11 record in the final half of the regular season.
“He has shown with various teams how excellent he is as a coach. … He’s a great coach, man. You will not get respect from the outside. But of all of us who really know, he got it, ”Wade said as well.
READ: Has Erik Spoelstra of the Heat established himself as an elite NBA coach?
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