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Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra slowly making a Coach of the Year case?

By Allana Tachauer

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 25: Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat coaches during the game against the Sacramento Kings on January 25, 2018 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 25: Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat coaches during the game against the Sacramento Kings on January 25, 2018 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was just named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, but is Coach of the Year coming too?

The Miami Heat have no so-called superstars. And the top four scorers in Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, Dion Waiters and Hassan Whiteside, have collectively missed about 50 games already this season. Yet, the 29-22 team sits fourth in the Eastern Conference, just a game and a half behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Impressive, to say the least.

In large part, thanks to the genius of head coach Erik Spoelstra.

Some coaches are only as good as their team. While others excel in just one or two areas of the job. But if last year’s turnaround and this season’s grind have proven one thing, it’s that Spoelstra fits into neither of those categories.

Recently having been named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month by the NBA, it seems the league is finally starting to give credit where credit is due. It’s about time too, after Spoelstra was overlooked by many during the Big Three era, said to just have fallen into the right situation.

Spoelstra led his team to a 10-5 record during the month of January, tied for the highest winning percentage in the East for that time period. The Heat won six in a row in the beginning of the month, making their 10 total wins the most since 2012, when they went 12-5. They finally started to play better at home, going 5-1, leaving them with a 5-4 road record. And perhaps most notable still, is their climb from seventh in the East, to fourth.

So now, the question on a lot of people’s minds is, is Coach of the Year next for the 47-year-old?

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Well, it all depends what happens next.

Miami is already underrated, thanks to first being in the East and also operating without what some may consider a headlining act. They may have Dragic, a recently named All-Star, and Whiteside who is without a doubt one of the league’s top big men. But in this day and age of Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors and Chris Paul heading over to James Harden and the Houston Rockets, playing team ball doesn’t seem to cut it anymore.

The next strike against the Heat would be if they start to struggle once more. Having started 2017-18 play off on a shaky foot, the 30-11 group, not 11-30 bunch, need to stick around and play a consistent game.

Which includes not giving up easy wins, or blowing winnable matchups in the last few minutes.

Next: Miami Heat Makes and Misses: Lineup struggles and a new front court

Erik Spoelstra certainly deserves to be recognized for his hard work in January, and if the Miami Heat keep up their success, should be in the Coach of the Year conversation too.

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