Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra celebrated his birthday with a team win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, but how did things go years prior?
Returning after missing five games to a knee injury, Miami Heat Center Hassan Whiteside offered his usual brand of charm during the post-game interview with Fox Sports Sun reporter Jason Jackson.
"“Coach Spo is 47? Wow! I didn’t know he was 47,” said Whiteside after a win against the Chicago Bulls on head coach Erik Spoelstra’s birthday, November 1, 2017. He continued, “We’re going to keep winning for him, man, and hopefully no gray hairs appear.”"
By all accounts, Spoelstra wears his age well. The 47-year-old, who celebrated the occasion with not just a win but also an announcement of the expectation of his first child, seemingly hasn’t aged since he began as a videographer for the Heat 22 years ago.
Whiteside’s naivety, however, does bring forth a question of how the Heat have performed on Spoelstra’s birthday during his tenure. Here’s a look back at each time the Heat suited up on Spoelstra’s special day.
Saturday November 1, 2008 – Heat lose to the Charlotte Bobcats, 87-100
The Heat began lukewarm for Spoelstra’s 38 birthday, falling to the Bobcats behind a 34-point effort by forward Gerald Wallace. Miami went down early and never recovered, though captain Dwyane Wade would eventually prove this season to be a career year. The guard would continue to average a career high 30.2 points per game and lead the Heat to a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
Sunday November 1, 2009 – Heat defeat the Bulls, 95-87
In the season before LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, the Heat blessed Spoelstra with a win over an Eastern rival. The Bulls’ dynamic duo of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, only combined for 18 of the Bulls’ 87 points. While Miami cruised to the victory behind 25 and 19-point efforts from Wade and Udonis Haslem respectively.
Friday November 1, 2013 – Heat fall to the Brooklyn Nets, 100-101
The Heat wouldn’t grace the court for Spoelstra’s annual celebration again until 2013, given scheduling changes and the mishap that was the 2011 NBA Lockout. The Nets, led by a pair of 19-point performances from Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson squeezed out a win, despite a combined 67 points from the Heatles core of Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh.
Saturday November 1, 2014 – Heat rout the Philadelphia 76ers, 114-96
The 18-point victory Miami secured over the Sixers came at the start of Philadelphia’s “Trust the Process” era. Masterminded by then-General Manager Sam Hinkie, the Sixers young core failed to corral the Heat, who saw Bosh explode for 30 points in the first season sans-James since 2011.
Sunday November 1, 2015 – Heat extinguish the Houston Rockets, 109-89
For the second straight year, Spoelstra’s birthday present came in the form of another decisive victory. The 20-point differential was spearheaded by the newly acquired Whiteside, who brought a mammoth, 25-point, 15 rebound performance, in addition to a pair of gargantuan alley-oops delivered by Wade.
Tuesday November 1, 2016 – Heat push past the Sacramento Kings in overtime, 108-96
For the first time in his coaching career, Spoelstra wouldn’t be accompanied by Wade on his birthday. In lieu of his presence, the Goran Dragic-led Heat would tilt the balance of the overtime period in their favor, nullifying a pair of 30-point performances from Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins.
Wednesday Nov 1, 2017 – Heat close out a win against the Chicago Bulls, 97-91
And we’ve just about come full circle. In addition to the news of Spoelstra’s forthcoming child, his 47 was punctuated by a Whiteside 3-pointer, just the second of his career, which keeps the big man at 100 percent (2-for-2) from deep this season.
Next: Miami Heat: Dispatch from Waiters Island, week two
In seven November 1 birthday games, Spoelstra has garnered a respectable 5-2 record. How much the Heat internalize his big day as the motive for victory is anyone’s guess, but whatever they’re doing on the first of the month seems to be working.