Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Shined Behind The Scenes In 2013 NBA Finals

The 2013 NBA Finals is one of the most memorable in history. 

The Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs in seven games to complete back-to-back championships, solidifying LeBron James' place among the league greats. Many often say Ray Allen was the hero because of his tying shot that forced overtime in Game 6. 

The Heat trailed by five with less than a minute before making an epic comeback. While Allen and James get most of the credit, ex-Heat assistant David Fizdale tells a different version of heroics in that game. 

"In the timeout when we were down five, Erik Spoelstra shined," Fizdale said and NBA Hang Time. "His ability to calm us, to get us to focus on one play and execute that play and move to the next play and the next play ... He was a leader and he really settled the troops." 

The Heat were on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-2 in the best-of-7 series. They were down five with 28.2 seconds.  After James missed a 3-pointer, Chris Bosh grabbed the rebound. He found Allen, who backpedaled to the corner to hit the tying basket that forced overtime. 

The Heat won and eventually captured the series in Game 7. But it all goes back to Spoelstra keeping the team calm in Game 6 during those tense moments. 

"I remember him hitting that board a few times, saying `one play, one play," Fizdale said. "And he got those guys to lock in and the rest is history." 

Just imagine how James' legacy would have been impacted. The Heat would have likely broken up the Big Three with a loss. That means James' only championship at the time would have come against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a lockout-shortened season. The whole James, Bosh, Dwyane Wade experiment would have been deemed a failure. 

So Spoelstra's  performance impacted history. And that's why he is one of the NBA's top 15 coaches of all-time. 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected]