Erik Spoelstra gets Joe Mazzulla. Perhaps because Spoelstra once was Mazzulla. In 2008, Spoelstra, a 37-year-old assistant on Pat Riley’s staff, was elevated to head coach, taking over a Dwyane Wade–led team with playoff aspirations. His first official game came at Madison Square Garden, where Knicks fans took aim at the Heat’s young leader on the sideline.
“Everybody was saying that I was out past my bedtime,” Spoelstra said. “I do remember that.”
Nearly 15 years later, Spoelstra, now 52, is one of the NBA’s top coaches. He has led Miami to five Finals appearances, collected two championship rings and this season has steered an eighth-seeded Heat team to a 1–0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. On Wednesday, after Miami blitzed Boston in the second half, Jimmy Butler credited Spoelstra for infusing the Heat with the confidence to do it.
