Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers. Here are the only four coaches to have won more playoff games thanErik Spoelstrawho joined the Top 5 most successful coaches in the postseason.
With the victory of the Heat on the floor of the Knicks, during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-final, “Spo” thus recorded its 101st victory in the playoffs. Either one more than Larry Brown (100), two more than Red Auerbach (99), three more than Jerry Sloan (98) and four more than Steve Kerr (97), who could however catch up with him, or even double him , during this campaign, depending on the future paths of the Heat and the Warriors.
It is in any case a great accomplishment for the 52-year-old technician, who arrived in Miami as a video coordinator in 1995 and who then rose through the ranks, until Pat Riley made him his successor in 2008.
And if the beginnings of Erik Spoelstra were not easy, LeBron James having particularly had trouble trusting him during the formation of the “Three Amigos” in 2010, the support of Pat Riley allowed him to prove that he was one of the very best technicians in the NBA, with two titles in particular (2012 and 2013).
