Spoelstra and Popovich crowned NBA’s Coaches of the Month
Miami Heat’s mastermind Erik Spoelstra and legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich have been named the NBA’s Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month for December, respectively.
Erik Spoelstra
After facing all the criticism for Miami’s lacklustre 9-8 start, Spoelstra’s fortunes have changed drastically. A month ago, the youngest coach in the league was bracing for a possible send off from the coaching stint, as Miami’s star studded cast was faltering
at one frontier after another.
Spoelstra though came up with the strategy which turned Miami’s season on its head. Marshalling a team boasting some of the most explosive sharp-shooters in the league, he turned the focus towards defence. His move paid off big time, as the Heat never looked
back and romped to 15-1 (.938) record in the month, making it a December to remember.
Miami's resurgence was phenomenal. Not only did they annihilate every opponent in their path by an average of 13.3 points per game, they also busted a few NBA and franchise records on the way. Miami’s 15 wins in a month is the most the franchise from South
Beach has ever accomplished in its history. Additionally the 10 consecutive away wins by Spoelstra’s team are the most any team has ever accomplished in a single calendar month.
In a monumental month, the red hot Miami dominated the Eastern Conference with an 8-0 record, while they only succumbed once against the West - a two point loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Spoelstra’s defensive approach set the tone during the month, as the Heat forced their opponents to under 100 points in 15 of the 16 games, and under 40 percent from the field in six games. The Heat currently sits atop the NBA in a few defensive categories.
They are first in opponents’ field goal percentage (.423), first in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.318) and third in points allowed (92.0).
They are also performing well in offence and protecting the ball well. The Heat rank first in blocks allowed per game (2.47) and second in steals allowed per game (6.53). This marks the second time Spoelstra has earned the monthly honour and caps an excellent
month in his coaching career. He also surpassed Stan Van Gundy to move into the third spot on Miami’s all time win list this month.
Greg Popovich
After winning the laurels for the month of November, Greg Popovich has struck again, as he becomes the first coach since Mike Brown in the 2008-09 season to bag the Coach of the Month award in consecutive months. One of the most shrewd and tactically sound
coaches in the league, Popovich has guided the Spurs to the best ever start in their franchise history.
Popovich, who has the third best winning percentage (0.676) of any coach in NBA history, has played all the right cards this season. At present, the Spurs are reigning proudly at the top of the league with a 29-4 record, making them one of only 10 teams
in the NBA ever to start a season with a record of at least 29-4 through the first 33 games.
The Spurs have been successful this season both at home and on the road. Through the first 21 home games this season, the Spurs are 19-2 and are currently riding high on a 12-match winning streak. On the road as well, the Spurs opened the season with an
eight-game road winning streak and are now 10-2 on the road, which is the best in the NBA.
Under the inspirational coach, the Spurs have finished 13-2 (.867) in December and 14-1 (.933) in November, which are the best records in franchise history for those months. This marks the 12thoccasion that Popovich has been bestowed with the
prestigious award. That achievement has seen him dethrone Los Angeles Lakers’ Phil Jackson, and become the only active coach to have won the award 12 times.
Nominees
Other nominees for the coveted award were Boston's Doc Rivers, Dallas' Rick Carlisle, Houston's Rick Adelman, New York's Mike D'Antoni, Oklahoma City's Scott Brooks and Philadelphia's Doug Collins.
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