[ESPN] Erik Spoelstra is Kevin Martin

jsmee2000 · Jun 8, 2011

Erik Spoelstra is Kevin Martin

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/columns/story?page=Spoelstra-110601

Erik Spoelstra is Kevin Martin.

Well, not really, but Spoelstra's impression of the Houston Rockets shooting guard during Heat shootaround is uncanny -- right down to Martin's funky left-leaning release on his jump shot.

"[Spoelstra] had it down pat," Heat assistant coach David Fizdale says. "You know how [Martin] has that wind-up shot and how he's always shuffling his feet? It was unbelievable. He literally had the whole team on the floor laughing."

Fizdale stresses that Spoelstra isn't trying to ridicule Martin. Like virtually everything else Spoelstra does as Heat coach, it's about preparation -- in this case, for the Heat's upcoming game against Houston. The laughter brings the shootaround to a standstill.

"He knows everything," Wade says. "He knows the player, knows his tendencies. We died laughing. It just shows you how much film he watches and how much he prepares. It was just like [Martin]. But he wasn't laughing. He was serious."

Wade harbors a special appreciation for Spoelstra's mastery for the finer details of Martin's game because, for many years, Wade is Spoelstra's subject, both on film and in the gym.

When Wade comes to the Heat as a rookie in 2003, his jump shot still needs some refinement, and Spoelstra takes on that challenge as a project.

"We worked a lot of hours," Wade says. "You saw that he knew the game of basketball. You knew he was a hard worker. He gave me the confidence to think, 'I can do it.'"

Spoelstra works Wade out incessantly. He wants Wade to establish more balance on his shot and to learn to absorb contact.

"I used to do my 1-2 step-in, wide base and he would literally shove me so I could learn how to shoot with contact," Wade says. "And once I got that done, he made me do it with a shot fake, which is even harder."

Fast forward to a game in November 2004, with the Heat and Jazz tied in overtime. Guarded by Raja Bell on the last possession, the ball goes into Wade.

"It was the exact shot we'd been working on," Wade says. "I hit the game-winner and I remember looking over at him, smiling like, 'This is working.'"

Dogged preparation and intelligence puts Spoelstra in a strong position to succeed as an NBA head coach, but as is the case in any professional context, the support of important people is essential to withstand the political challenges that come with the job.

Spoesltra might be a relatively unknown quantity around the NBA, having resided in one of the NBA's most insulated organizations for the entirety of his career, but the fact that his two biggest champions are Riley and Wade isn't a coincidence.

"He's got a believer in Dwyane Wade already there who has won a championship," Brown says. "When stuff gets rocky, Dwyane's presence helped Erik Spoelstra."

Riley shares the belief that connectivity between coach and superstar is vital to a coach's standing. He credits his relationship with Magic Johnson as among the primary reasons for his early and enduring success in Los Angeles.

"You've got to have a very personal contact with these guys," Riley says. "You've got to talk to them through the course of the game. You have to ask their advice and take their advice. I learned that from Earvin Johnson and he became my greatest ally and I became his."

Wade offers an eerily similar explanation, perhaps not that eerie when you consider he's never known any other organizational culture than the Heat's. For him, the buy-in works in the same symbiotic manner that Riley describes.

"We understand that we can't win without our leader," Wade says. "We need him to lead us. And we also understand he needs us to help lead him. It's a team thing. He's always going to get a lot of flak. We're going to get a lot of flak and we're going to do it together. If we win, he's going to look like a genius, and we're going to look like great basketball players. And if we lose ..."

Wade raises his eyebrows as he finished his thought.

"We're all going to look like something is wrong. With all of us. But if we win, he's the young Pat Riley. Right? He's the next good-looking young coach with that same style of team."
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PeppermintCandy · Jun 8, 2011

Then that must make Rick Carlisle Kobe Bryant.

RMGEEGEE · Jun 8, 2011

A video would have been nice.

I'm curious now.

RoxBeliever · Jun 8, 2011

Can Spoelstra hit his free throws though?

Qball · Jun 8, 2011

Yep, he's just like Martin...disappearing as a coach in the 4th quarter.

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[ESPN] Erik Spoelstra is Kevin Martin

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