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“A pass first guy leading the league in scoring? That’s pretty amazing!” LeBron James’s former coach Erik Spoelstra gives credit to the Lakers superstar despite loss to the Heat

Arun Sharma
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"A pass first guy leading the league in scoring? That's pretty amazing!" LeBron James's former coach Erik Spoelstra gives credit to the Lakers superstar despite loss to the Heat

Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James quite convincingly

At no point during the game against the Miami Heat, the Lakers looked like they could make a comeback. Maybe towards the end of the 4th quarter, but the game was already over by then. All they did was save face and avoid a potential blowout. One person not at too much fault though was LeBron James. Like usual. He had his 20th 30 point game this season against his former team, also racking up a double double.

All that was in vain, losing by 6 points to the Florida based team. After the game the head coach of the Heat could not stop gushing about how well his former player was still playing, despite turning 37 a month ago. He said a guy who looked to pass to people first was able to drop points so effortlessly was incredible. Even more so while playing out of position in a roster that is absolute garbage right now.

Lebron James and Erik Spoelstra were a match made in heaven – They won 2 championships together in 4 years

4 final and back to back final wins – the Miami Heat were spoilt silly for the four years LeBron James moved to South Beach. When he said he was taking his talents to the south beach, he wasn’t lying. James enjoyed his best basketball years with the Heat, and Erik Spoelstra constructed a team around him to match the ambitions.

Many fans complained that King James would not win anything if it was not for a super team, but who has? Everyone has someone or the other helping them out on court, and the better players you have, the better chances of winning a championship. That is what they did, and was it not for a terrible performance against the Mavericks in 2011, or an inspired performance by Kawhi Leonard in 2014, the Heat would have been the first modern day team to win 4 in a row.

Also Read: “If I knew LeBron James could play the center, I would’ve done it 10 years ago”: Erik Spoelstra on how the Lakers superstar could’ve been playing small-ball 5 for him on the Miami Heat

Erik Spoelstra seems to finally have a team that could emulate the 2010’s team

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Lebron James – they absolutely dominated for 4 straight seasons. After the “dream team” disbanded, the Heat had a fall off compared to what they were before. While they were still pretty decent, the fans were spoilt silly and demanded more. For the longest time, they were calling for Spoelstra’s sacking. But Pat Riley and the management stuck with him, and it looks like it paid off.

Once they got in Jimmy Butler, the front office knew it was only time until they got a championship contender again. Smart recruitment and wise draft choices made them the team they are now. Tyler Herro is doing extremely well, Jimmy and Bam are tearing it, and the experience of Kyle Lowry is a huge plus.

This current team is a dark horse from the East, and have continuously threatened the top seeds. If they get their injury crisis sorted, the Nets, Bulls and the Bucks should be vary. In a 7 game series, the tie will go down to the wire, with this plucky young team.

Also Read: “I was 18 years old saving a franchise so I don’t understand”: LeBron James scoffs at his ‘increased workload’ following loss to Miami Heat

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma

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Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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