In the season of thanks, Erik Spoelstra expresses his gratitude after accomplishing something only 16 other NBA head coaches have done.
The Miami Heat's clutch victory last night against the Milwaukee Bucks, with a final score of 106-103, not only helps them reach closer to punching a ticket to Las Vegas to compete for the NBA Cup, but marked a milestone in league history.
It was Erik Spoelstra's 800th win of his career. He was completely unaware as the team celebrated his accomplishment in the locker room after the game.
"For what?" the 55-year-old said.
"800 wins," the team shouted after splashing him with water.
Afterwards, Spoelstra alluded to believing the celebration was a sign of the Heat qualifying for the NBA Cup.
"It hasn't sunk in yet, because I wasn't aware of it," he said. "It's fitting that it comes on the eve of Thanksgiving. I just feel incredible gratitude for this organization. All of these years, where the years going by so fast. Having a hell of a time. I love what I do, I love coaching, I love this profession, I love working for this organization, I love working for and with amazing players and staff. We have too many to count over the years. We have an incredible bond, our coaching staff right now. It's just so much fun. After that playoff series loss against Cleveland, we all took a bunch of time off and then we got to work. It was one of the more gratifying summers. Just really buckling down and trying to figure out how we can be better. It really is like a brotherhood, our coaching staff. The players, that's just a fun locker room, a very ambitious locker room. Our coaching staff, we want to be our best to be able to meet that ambition, and hopefully exceed their ambitions. I'm grateful. I've said it a few times, but when Pat [Riley] told me that I was going to be the head coach, he said that I was going to blink and 10 years would go by. Now, there's quite a few more years that have gone by. I'm feeling great gratitude heading into Thanksgiving."
Ironically enough, when Pat Riley first arrived in Miami in 1995, Spoelstra was hired as the organization's video coordinator. He was elevated to an assistant coaching role in 1997 before getting promoted to a head coach in 2008.
Afterwards, two championships, six Finals appearances, and now the head coach of the USA Men's National Team.
Spoelstra is a first ballot Hall of Famer once it's all set and done.
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