Why hasn't Erik Spoelstra won NBA Coach of the Year ever? 3 seasons when the Miami Heat head coach deserved COTY
Eric Spoelstra is widely acknowledged as one of the best coaches in the NBA and has been for the best part of a decade. However, despite leading the Miami Heat to multiple championships, conference finals, and deep playoff runs, Spoelstra has never been named the NBA Coach of the Year.
Instead, Eric Spoelstra has had to watch as his peers continually get recognized for their work while he overperforms in his role and consistently develops talent that turns into legitimate on-court contributors. Even this season, when the Miami Heat had to claw their way into the postseason, Spoelstra has helped navigate his team back to the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately, 'Heat Culture' could be a fault for Spoelstra's continued absence from the Coach of the Year discussion, as the Heat are expected to be one of the better teams in their conference. As such, if Miami performs well, Spoelstra is meeting expectations, while if they struggle, he's underperforming - it's a lose-lose.
As such, it makes sense to take a look back in history and pinpoint a few seasons where Eric Spoelstra could realistically have won Coach of the Year but was overlooked.
#3 The 2021-22 Miami Heat season
The Miami Heat finished the 2021-22 NBA season as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The achievement alone should have placed Eric Spoelstra in contention for the prestigious award. Moreover, when you factor in the injuries that the Heat had to deal with and how Spoelstra once again found value in undrafted and two-way talent, his case for winning the individual award gets much stronger.
Furthermore, Eric Spoelstra once again managed to squeeze the life out of an aging player. He empowered Kyle Lowry, resulting in the veteran guard averaging 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game on 53.9% shooting from two and 37.7% shooting from deep.
Unfortunately for Spoelstra, Monty Williams also had an amazing coaching season, leading the Phoenix Suns to a first-seeded finish in the Western Conference and ultimately won the award.
#2 The 2012-13 Miami Heat season
Armed with a superstar trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat swept everyone aside en route to a first-seeded finish in the Eastern Conference. However, it would appear that Miami's impressive season didn't capture the imagination of NBA fans, primarily due to the presence of so many star players on the roster.
Nevertheless, Eric Spoelstra navigated the season with poise and expertise as he managed a locker room full of egos and led his team to a 66-win season. However, rather than Spoelstra, legendary coach George Karl was the one to win the award.
#1 The 2016-17 Miami Heat season
The Heatles era is over, and the Miami Heat are in rebuild mode, led by Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside. Despite the team lacking a genuine star talent, the Miami Heat finish the season with a .500 record courtesy of a strong late-season push.
With no star to speak of, no real roster depth, and very low expectations, this was the season where Eric Spoelstra had no reason not to be recognized for his exceptional work. However, the Coach of the Year award is handed to Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets, leaving the Miami Heat as an afterthought once again.