Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra’s Perfect Call Shows Coaching Really Matters

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra coaches from the sideline against the Washington Wizards(Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra coaches from the sideline against the Washington Wizards(Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)
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Miami Heat
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) falls to the ground after being fouled against the Chicago Bulls(David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)

Things got tense for a second. With the Bulls making a couple of shots in the final moments to close the gap, Miami Heat faithful had to be thinking the worst.

It was not to be for the Bulls though. Here is why.

When the Miami Heat absolutely needed to get a bucket in the waning moments of that game and as the Bulls tried to steal it away—it was Spo who answered the call.

This is the play that put the game away for the Miami Heat. They got a wide-open layup attempt off of an inbounds play drawn up by Coach Spoelstra.

This would put the Heat up by five points with less than 30 seconds to play. To echo a famous Spoism, it was “enough”.

This is why Coaching still matters. In and at this crucial moment in the game, the coach saw something that he knew could help them.

He went to that weakness and attacked it, resulting in an easy lay-in for the Miami Heat’s point guard, and what would amount to a game-sealing shot. It’s really that simple.

So, yes, talent does matter and typically wins out. However, to say that coaching doesn’t matter is silly and these are the reasons why.