2013 NBA Season Awards Predictions: Handing out the hardware on season’s last day
By Matt Shetler
Coach of the Year: Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat
Generally the Coach of the Year Award doesn’t go to the coach of the best team in the league, as the defending champion Miami Heat were supposed to be this good, but it’s almost impossible to not recognize exactly what Spoelstra has done this season.
Apr 2, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts during the first half against the New York Knicks at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The bottom line is that Spoelstra is the head coach of a team that is going to finish with the best record in the NBA, just went on the second longest winning streak in NBA history, and has become one of the most offensively terrifying teams ever.
Sure he has the best player on the planet to lean on, but a lot of Miami’s success is thanks to Spoelstra throwing conventional NBA wisdom out the door and playing without a true big man. He has made the Heat very tough to matchup against and even with a title under his belt, Spoelstra deserves the recognition as not only one of the game’s best young coaches, but one of the NBA’s best coaches period.
The Denver Nuggets’ George Karl really deserves this award for taking a talented Nuggets team and finishing with a top-three record in the cutthroat Western Conference without a tried and true superstar, but Spoelstra’s 65-16 record is enough to get him the honor.
Runner’s Up: Karl, Gregg Popovich, Mike Woodson