Erik Spoelstra Remains Confident Despite Heat&#39;s Uneven Start

Filed under: Heat

MIAMI -- For such a young coach without any previous head coaching experience, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has certainly shown a knack for exceeding expectations in his first two seasons since taking the reins from his mentor, Pat Riley. Both of his first two teams in Miami overachieved, something his new team will never be able to do no matter how they end this first season together. All the talent acquired in free agency and the subsequent hype means this team can only underachieve if they don't at least reach the NBA Finals this year. But even Spoelstra was surprised by how well it all came together on Wednesday, if only for one night.

"Well, we weren't necessarily expecting that result" a relieved Spoesltra said after the Heat's 123-96 win over the Suns. "We just wanted to focus on our game, our energy and really having that defensive edge to us again. That's one of the most challenging teams to defend."

After their second consecutive victory pushed their record up to 7-4, Spoelstra appeared much more at ease than last week when the Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics together provided a 1-2 punch to the team's morale. Despite all the negativity and hyperbole thrown his way, he has nonetheless never shied away from answering the criticism about his new squad to the media in a very articulate and thoughtful manner and there's no reason to believe he isn't the same with his players. But he has been around Riley long enough to always expect more from them.

"Efficiency is what I'm looking for and I want us to get out in the open court on blocks, misses, turnovers," noted Spoelstra. "But it starts with our defensive commitment and our energy and it carries over. For the last three or four games our offense quietly has been coming. Guys are starting to get on the same page, the ball has been moving, we've been very efficient."

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/19/erik-spoelstra-remains-confident-despite-heats-uneven-start/