Erik Spoelstra with Miami Heat's Big 3
It always makes me feel good to see a Filipino or somebody with Filipino ancestry who excels in a contest overseas that for years and years has been dominated by Westerners.
It was no mean feat, therefore, that a virtual unknown like Miami Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra spoiled the fun of more experienced and much more known NBA coaches when he made history by becoming the first ever Filipino-American coach to take his team to the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.
While it may be true that Spoelstra has some of the best shooting NBA players in his team in the persons of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, them alone will not make a team a winner if there wasn’t a mentor who could inspire and motivate, galvanize and energize such that every individual player has to play above par to effect a good team work offensively and defensively.
It was Spoelstra’s in-depth knowledge of the game, his ability to know the strength and weaknesses of the members of his team and his leadership skill that made all the difference in trouncing the highly regarded Boston Celtics in their playoff series.
The appointment of Spoelstra as Miami’s head coach replacing the legendary Pat Riley in 2008 made him the first and youngest Asian American to assume that post. For what he has achieved, he gave Riley the credit for having taught him the essentials of effective coaching.
Spoelstra was born to a Filipino mother who hails from San Pablo, Laguna and an Irish-Dutch father.
Miami Heat will take on the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals starting May 15.
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