![]() With the significance of this series heightening the drama of every hot run and cold streak, this year's Finals will surely feature some masterful in-game and between-game tinkering by the two coaches. Spoelstra installed an offense that played directly to the Heat's strengths, such as "athleticism" and "having LeBron James." LeBron took his game to new heights, and 2. Miami scored 110.3 points per 100 possessions in the regular season-the most in the league-without a big man to command double teams or an elite point guard to run the offense. Spoelstra has been even better this year, freeing LeBron to take an unprecedented level of control over the offense to create a high-scoring, ball-moving juggernaut. He weathered calls for his dismissal after the Heat lost the NBA Finals in 2011 and then led the Heat to the 2012 title. With serious expectations weighing on the Big Three, Spoelstra coached under as much pressure as anyone in NBA history and succeeded. Spoelstra, 42, started as the Heat's video coordinator in 1995 and worked his way up until Pat Riley, the coaching legend-turned-Heat president, anointed him as the man to coach LeBron, Bosh, and Dwyane Wade in their self-stated quest for multiple championships. Popovich is the oldest coach in the NBA and a full 22 years older than Spoelstra-the largest age disparity between coaches in the 65-year history of the NBA Finals. The surefire Hall of Famer, whose four titles are the fifth-most for any coach in NBA history, is respected everywhere but loved only in San Antonio, where his unwavering commitment to the Spurs and his knack for winning have earned fans' loyalty.Īt 64, Popovich is the oldest coach in the NBA and a full 22 years older than Spoelstra-the largest age disparity between coaches in the 65-year history of the NBA Finals. "You've got to sit there and cross your fingers," he said. After Popovich sat Duncan for the final 10 seconds of a game against the Mavericks in March (a game the Spurs won), Duncan told the San Antonio Express-News that he respected Popovich's decision. The Spurs players follow Pop's command without reservation-even Duncan. Pop, as his players call him affectionately, has overseen the franchise irascibly but loyally, building a roster with top international players from France (Tony Parker), Argentina (Manu Ginobili), and even Brazil (Tiago Splitter) and getting the best out of young players like Leonard. They also own four titles, including a lopsided sweep of LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007. 702 winning percentage in the regular season. Since Popovich joined forces with Duncan in 1998, the Spurs have had a. ![]() He has overseen the Spurs since 1997, and his 16-year run is the longest of any active coach in the four major North American sports. In the era of the pro-sports coaching carousel, Popovich is eternal. The Spurs won that game, like they usually do, and eliminated the Golden State Warriors. Though he's notoriously cranky with the media, mocking reporters and delivering terse one-word answers to sideline interviewers with a mixture of disdain and glee, he's also a coach so confident in his process that he benched Duncan, San Antonio's meal ticket for more than a decade, in the fourth quarter of Game Six in the second round of the playoffs last month. Popovich, the contempt-filled genius who has dominated the Western Conference for 15 years, is Bill Belichick mixed with a little cantankerous Sean Connery. But their styles and pedigrees couldn't be more different. So there's some unsettled tension between the two coaches, and each one will be looking to gain an early upper hand on the other. In Praise of Nate Robinson, the NBA Playoffs' Surprising Scene-Stealer ![]()
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