Spo is becoming a better coach, just lacks experience

[ecnirp]

Im honestly not as mad about Spo's decisions as I was at the start of the playoffs or the Indiana series early on. Especially not like the finals.

Now the Heat havent made the finals so who knows how he would do again. Just saying up to now...Spo is doing the best he can to match wits with Doc Rivers.

Im seeing Spo doing the best he can without Bosh. The last two games he's found a way to get the Heat to compete to makes games out of both of them. A couple calls go here or there and the Heat might have won.

The problem......

Spo is learning on the job. And him learning on the job is why the Heat are in the predicament they are in. Spo is becoming a good coach before our eyes (at least to me). However, he's learning what to do and what not to do........instead of already knowing. For example, ook at Spo like Andrew Bynum. Raw, but has talent. You're impressed with his improvement the first four years.....However, he's not quite ready to be the "guy" yet. Still needs more seasoning. Its the same with Spo. I think he's going to end up a very good coach in this league. However, he's not there yet. He'll be there....but will it be at the expense of some championships?

I honestly think when Riley put this together. He figured this would speed up Spo's development process and he'll win a few championships "the hard way". Once he gets the experience and over the hump...He'll have a coach in place to make it a true dynasty. He's got some great experience against Rivers and Carlisle last year. Again, at what expense?

Truth is. The Superstars are going to have to be Superstars. Bottom line. Spo is coaching better. So Wade and LeBron need to play better. If LeBron figured out a way (even though Spo was as wide as anyone to offer assistance) to dominate, the Heat would have won the championship. If Wade had figured out a way to get some baskets to drop early in this last game....The Heat would be up 3-1.

Only thing I can truly fault Spo is on the last second shots. Those extra 10 minutes of play have hurt the Heat more than the Celtics.

If LeBron would have made that game winner? That takes 5 mins off their legs. Gives them a chance to stay in the game in game 3 and makes it down to the winner. If there was better execution in Game 4....Then thats 5 less minutes of DWADE being drained.

Game 5 is huge. Have to see if Spo, LeBron and Wade have learned anything the past few games.

They have to dominate while Spo is doing the best he can.

[CablexDeadpool]

Spo is becoming better at what?

He takes 3 games to adjust to anything the opposing coach is doing.

He is constantly changing his lineups...even if it does work.

He can't get DWade to obey him....I mean if it's a wide open shot...someone should take it who is wide open not some BS that Wade did...that was crap.

He won't keep things that is working...when the last time the Heat ran off ball cuts... Spo had them running the same ineffective pick and roll all game.

He still won't even do basic crap like put shooters in the game to create floor spacing.

He just isn't championship level.

Best thing he did was create the need for Lebron to get a post game. Now Spo won't use that either.

[Flash4thewin]

Are we trying to win a championship or make Spo become a better coach?

[ecnirp]

Are we trying to win a championship or make Spo become a better coach?

Again. Thats the risk.

Its like if Jeff Van Gundy (Im not sure how well he's received on this forum) or a Larry Brown, or etc. etc.

Yea the Heat win the championship last year and this year. But those guys might not be long term coaches.

Riley wanted his guy to be a long term answer. Spo is improving, but its costing the Heat a chance to definitively win the championship. LeBron played bad in the finals last year. A better coach, it would have been looked at as "LeBron didnt even play well and they still won the finals)

So thats the tough part. It is what it is. Spo is the coach and Riley is not firing him. You have to hope Wade and LeBron DOMINATE so they can get the ring while Spo is improving. That way *starts praying* if Spo develops into a Pop level kind of coach years down the road. Then the Heat can be like the Spurs in the way their older stars are well coached.

[Moggs24]

I don't see Spo as doing a bad job at all. Everybody just like to use him as a scapegoat for whatever reason. We are two wins away from making our 2nd finals in 2 years and this series was not expected to be easy. Defensively he does a great job. People can say what they want about our rotations on D and the fact that we often allow open 3's instead of open 2's, but on the whole our defense is as effective as any team in the league.

The offensive side of the ball is where everyone seems to rail against him, but he has done a good job with what he has. Right now we have two great players and spot up shooters. Miller and chamlers are the only other 2 players on the roster that are able to drive at all. So what kind of sets should he run. You are going to run a lot of multiple pick and roll sets and you are going to run a lot of post ups which is exactly what we did at the end of the game last night.

Last night he coached a good game. We adjusted our D on Garnett and ran much better sets in the 2nd half. I can't blame him for the bad first half b/c that was just the case of a home team going off, and that happens. The only thing I see him doing wrong yesterday is the final play of regulation. It appears he tried to run a play for Lebron to pass out to Haslem or Wade, but Boston defended it well and Chalmers ran himself into the play.

Players have to win the game. We did not lose last night b/c of Spo, we lost b/c the refs screwed us, and their players made more plays then ours.

[HIF]

If Wade had knocked down that 3 at the end of the game and we'd turned an 18 point deficit into a 3-1 lead in boston then we'd have been singing everyone's praises. And the shot was wide open - such is basketball.

[MartyConlonJr]

I still maintain a team with 2 wins in the NBA finals and 2 other games where they are up 25 and 15 in the 4th quarter - should win a championship with any coach. Dallas got video game good at the ends of those games. Otherwise Spo and the Heat would have a championship and he'd have pedigree by now. We are still favoured to make the finals this year.
I do agree he is going nowhere and is being groomed. Riley wants his own Jerry Sloan.

[narmerguy]

If Wade had knocked down that 3 at the end of the game and we'd turned an 18 point deficit into a 3-1 lead in boston then we'd have been singing everyone's praises. And the shot was wide open - such is basketball.

We'd be singing Wade's "clutch" praises and likely nothing else. No one is showering Miami for their game 2 win. Game 4 would have been no different.

[heat4life]

Funny how people play the game results and use it for their personal agendas. Is Spo perfect? Absolutely no. But neither is Pops. His late game plays and decisions were highly questionable but he gets no second guessing. He was up 2-0 in the series and is down 3-2 now. Average fan trying to discuss plays and adjustments when NOBODY knows what is going on in practice, locker rooms and huddles.

Where is Rick Carlisle genius? or Tom Thibodeau mastery? How about Phil Jackson's last season in LA?
The bottom line is the that the playoffs are chess match that ultimately is determined by how the pieces execute the plan. All of these coaches are good at what they do, and yes that includes Spo. But they also face

IMO, the HEAT has been prepared and has adjusted to game action accordingly on every series. My only observation is the team's lack of fight at times when in a hole and the sense of "they can turn it on at anytime" that they play with that has made each loss a battle.

Let's not forget the halftime defensive adjustments Miami made in Game 4 that got them back into the game (18 points deficit) and a chance to win it. What troubles me is WHY do we get into those big holes to begin with? Haslem said it best. They have to play hard all 48 minutes and stop trying to cruise thinking they can comeback anytime.

[imchillin]

Spo is not a head coach, he's an assistant

Waste of Lebron, Bosh and wade's prime

[GameTime_3]

Every year I've heard the same thing about Spo; "Just lacks experience". Spobot will not change.

Spo is a great assistant and someone I would love to have on the staff but his ingame adjustments, lineup changes and plays out of timeouts are terrible and that hasn't change on bit from when he got the job.

Were watching Larry Coker right now.

People ask why the Celtics are playing better? Well...Some of it is them but were also playing right into their hands. We are over helping and forcing them to move the ball. which is exactly what they are good at. Celtics are old and slow but if you let them use their IQ they will kill you. Philly/Atlanta played alot of man to man and if the man got beat, they would be ok.

[DefenseWins]

Notice Philly kept Boston to low ass numbers.

Boston plays us and they are back to themselves.... I knew it would our defense vs. their offense.

Overhelping kills us. Then they always blame each other. I see LeBron always yelling at other people, even when sometimes he's accountable for some stuff.

We also give Rondo too much damn room. It's a stupid idea. Yeah let him run the offense with no pressure... or take a practice shot...

[HIF]

yo yo fans

[dshearn]

Does not look like this team gets the proper focus or production from its parts.

They don't play up to their talent level.

I gotta put that on the coach