[Spo:](https://youtu.be/UgqOu4gN9HA?si=kGBnA2lFniaGZD9P&t=451) “Success can be the worst teacher, worst formula sometimes, if you just get endless amount of success in the regular season and you’re just not dealing with the truth. We’ve had to deal with the truth…”
I thought this was interesting from Spo, it almost seemed like he’s suggesting that he’s experimenting a lot during the regular season. I’m not happy where we are in terms of standings but I think Spo sees bigger things in the regular season than try to win each and every game by any means and claim the higher seeds.
by realudonishaslem
15 Comments
It’s almost as if Spo is the best coach in the league
He’s not wrong, 2022 we had that 5 game losing streak that lead to the fight. Last year it was just always ass.
It’s good to build resilience and come together. This weekend we got the Celtics, then bucks and sixers b2b. Biggest litmus test of the season
I don’t think it’s that he’s experimenting so much or trying to lose. Think it’s just a lot more of a philosophical approach of making all of that suffering have value. They have to really look in the mirror to address their issues. Look at the Celtics. Every season they get gassed up as the greatest team to ever play in the regular season, then they can’t always keep the ship together when the seas get rough.
It feels like the front office has given Spoelstra a mandate to experiment during the regular season so that the Heat can go into the playoffs with the lowest playoff seeding possible to maximize their draft selection. There is no other logical explanation for how bad of a regular season coach he is compared to the playoffs these past two years.
Him and Jimmy are a match made in heaven and hell, cause both would be coasting during the first half of the regular season. Spo constantly tinkering lineups, putting out the weirdest rotations and randomly giving players a lot or no minutes.
This February all star window is when they usually find what they’re looking for the playoffs and when they both master it out come playoff time, the Heat are a dangerous matchup regardless of seeding.
There was a podcast with Norris Cole where he verifies this by saying they would run actions during the regular season to try things out and keep running them even if they end up blowing leads or losing. And this was all part of figuring things out for the playoffs.
I’ll see if I can drop the link here later.
He always tinkers and put the team in a specific scenario come for playoff time for them not to get pressured on the same situation. He always tell that. What a basketball nerd spo is
COTY is for the regular season
Spo always look for the bigger picture
🐐
Looking at you Boston
*”If the FO won’t bestow upon me a roster that would rival, if not exceed, that of the Heatles era, you won’t see a 27-game win streak or a 60-win season from me.”* -Spo
That’s my interpretation of his quote 😅
Kidding aside, I think he’s pushing each and every one to make each other the best version of themselves in the playoffs by gaining their teammates’ trust. I don’t see our guys pointing fingers on someone they want to throw under the bus, no matter how bad they seemingly perform.
Spo makes his teams—especially during the Jimmy butler era—play thru the struggles/challenges in the regular season. He doesn’t really coach with a focus on regularly winning just the game at hand. He focuses on building the team to have a resilience for playoff ball. Obviously this approach has its risks and downsides. But it’s an under appreciated reason why the Heat are a team that no one wants to face in the playoffs despite their regular season seeding or record.
It’s also why, once playoffs come around Spo looks like he’s out classing most coaches.
The perspective is crucial for not going insane as a Heat fan in the regular season when you see Spo sticking with things that haven’t worked in a game in the regular season. He knows if the player is going to be in the playoff rotation that there will come moments where the opponent forces each player into uncomfortable situations. He wants each player to be familiar and confident in uncomfortable situations.
Yeah this is why young LBJ and Spo just can’t get on the same page. A stretch like this with LBJ would absolutely lead to LBJ crying for Spo to get fired.
Current Lebron would probably be capable to see the bigger picture as well, I mean, I was actually surprised to see him defend Ham every now and again. But that’s what he does in front of the media, I wonder if he thinks the same way behind closed doors.
And that’s why Jimmy is right at home here.
I think what Spo sees is this: make the playoffs. that’s it. fuck the seeding, that’s irrelevant. if we’re truly the best team then we’ll take that first round matchup as the 8th seed; why duck it? the only thing that matters is setting a date for game 1 of a 7-game series in April.
There was one interview with winslow that there was a time where they went in to spam whiteside jrich/dragic pick and roll alley oop regardless if they win or not for something they said that spo won’t be satisfied until they met this number of attempt regardless if they win or lose
He calling the team in massachusetts pussy