Erik Spoelstra wary about the Miami Heat title defense – NBA Update
Last season Erik Spoelstra became one of the youngest coaches to ever win a NBA championship. Coaching a team compromising of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh might have seemed an easy job to some, but the truth of the
matter that Spoelstra had to evolve as a coach while handling the big three.
Besides working tirelessly to create chemistry and define roles among his crop of superstars, Coach Spo had to deal with the egos as well.
In short, he had to listen more, and assert less.
The man found a way eventually and the result was that Miami finally won its first championship under the big three era last season.
What’s done is done however and the main thing now is to continue the winning ways. That is something which the Miami coach is vary about;
"It's not easy," Spoelstra said on Thursday, as reported by NBA.com. "It's not. People talk about it. It's harder to repeat. It's hard to win a title in any professional sport. There's so many variables. You have to have your health
first, you have to have talent, you have to have everybody on the same page and you have to be peaking at the right time. And you certainly have to develop enough resolve and resiliency to weather the storms and the tough times."
Talent and the desire to win are not major issues for Miami, but fitness certainly is. While LeBron James continued to motor along last season, both Wade and Bosh struggled to stay fit. Wade played the playoffs through a knee injury
while Bosh had to miss a major chunk of the post season due to a lower abdominal strain. Both players gave the 2012 London Olympics a miss to recover properly for the next NBA season, but conditioning them back onto the court so that they do not aggravate
their problems will be quite a challenge for Spoelstra and his coaching staff.
Then there is the problem of Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder – the teams which will be rearing to dethrone Miami. They certainly have played their cards smartly this summer and come next season, the
Heat will be in for a tough challenge. They will still be the team to beat but a cautious approach from Spoelstra is certainly in order.
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