Behind Gregg Popovich with his five titles, Steve Kerr (4 titles) and Erik Spoelstra (2 titles) are the two active NBA coaches who have the most championship titles. If they have had a diametrically opposed path to establish themselves permanently at the head of the Warriors and the Heat, they are still cited among the best coaches in the league by the players.
When Steve Kerr inherited the position of coach of Team USA to succeed his mentor and friend, Gregg Popovich, his first phone call was to Erik Spoelstra, to ask him to join his staff even though the two coaches did not meet. did not know personally.
“We didn’t know each other well before this adventure with Team USA. It was limited to quick discussions after our meetings but I always had immense respect for him. We knew each other a little before I became a coach because I commentated on a lot of Heat games when I worked for TNT. I always thought he was excellent,” said Steve Kerr before the duel between the Warriors and the Heat. “When I was named coach of Team USA, I immediately thought of Spo and he immediately said yes. As a result, we know each other a lot better. He is an incredible person and coach. I loved every second of this experience with him. »
First a rich life experience
The faces of Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra light up when they talk about their adventure with Team USA.
Despite the United States' poor performance at the World Cup, the Heat coach had only positive things to say about his experience.
“Being part of Team USA is an incredible experience because everyone, coach and players, focuses on the team, regardless of their role. It's so different from an NBA season. It was an incredible life experience, it was an incredible basketball experience,” he shares.
In passing, he passes the buck to Steve Kerr in terms of praise and admiration. “Steve is above all a quality person, I respect and admire him a lot,” he said before the match. According to him, it was the format of the World Cup, with shortened preparation for the Americans before the competition, which allowed him to forge strong bonds with the players and the rest of the staff, including Steve Kerr.
A first in the final in June?
“Beyond the competition, I really enjoyed the side effects. Bus rides, meals after training, drinking a beer or two after a match…” he continues. “It's fast and intense… It only lasts six weeks but it feels like it lasted six months! And as a result you develop much deeper relationships. »
The two coaches will meet again this summer to seek a fifth consecutive gold medal for Team USA at the Olympic Games. However, they hope to meet again a little earlier, in June, during a face-to-face match to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. Since 2011, the Heat or the Warriors have reached the Finals in 12 of the last 13 editions, and yet the two franchises have never faced each other at this stage of the competition.
Comments collected in San Francisco.
