One coach is a guy who people thought that would not last as the head coach of the Miami Heat (including myself). The other guy is a sure fire first ballot Hall of Famer. Erik Spoelstra and Gregg Poppovich are about as opposite as it gets when it comes to coaching, but the results are similar.Both coaches are championship coaches, but they have their own style of coaching that differentiates from other coaches in the NBA.
Popp transitioned his style of coaching to fit his best player Tony Parker. In the past Popp relied heavily on Tim Duncan or David Robinson.
With Popp switching his style of play and coaching it comes to show you how versatile he is when is between the lines. There is no question that Poppovich goes down as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.
With all of his accomplishments he is still overlooked than he should be. Since 1999 the Spurs have been the model of consistency, and majority of that success is because of the general in charge. Players such as Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker have made things easier for Poppovich, but without a great head coach it is hard to mesh talent together.
With Erik Spoelstra you have an unorthodox coach who defies the odds without playing with a traditional Center. Spoelstra’s lineups are odd, unconventional, and unique.
There are times you see LeBron James playing Center, and there can be times where you can see him bringing the ball up the floor. Spo’s motto of playing the best group on the floor is evident even if that means that everyone is 6’8 and under.
Spoelstra has had a long three years since he inherited the “Big 3”. The pressure is/was mounting, and in his first season with them (3rd as the Heat coach) he failed to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Since then Spoelstra has had the Heat rolling, and they are now playing in their third straight NBA Finals. Spoelstra will never get the credit he deserves, because he has three players on his team making over $100 million dollars, and he as the four-time MVP in LeBron James.
It is a testament to how good both coaches are after seeing the route that both teams took to make it to the NBA Finals. Poppovich is a master when it matters most, and is 4-0 in the NBA Finals.
Erik Spoelstra is a master of orchestrating the small ball approach and unconviental style of coaching. The Finals coaching match up may be just as intriguing as the one on the court.
It will be interesting to see what coach will make the proper adjustments and moves to give his team the edge.
I think Spolestra gets underrated because he’s in the shadow of Pat Riley and the Heat signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh. He’s done a masterful job of putting the players in a position to succeed, but Gregg Popovich might be the best at that. The chess match between these two will be fascinating. Check out my NBA Finals preview here: http://sportsfansnews.com/nba/heat-vs-spurs-2013-nba-finals-preview/
Thanks for reading. I agree that Spo and Popp are very similar it will be a great coaching match up. You’re preview of the Finals looked great as well. I’ll have to add your we site to my Rolodex.