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Fil-Am NBA coach Erik Spoelstra: A possible Hall of Famer?


Having made history several times in the past, what's more left in store for Filipino-American Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra?

Apparently, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers award...

According to a Sports Illustrated (SI) news article, 42-year-old Spoelstra is among the list of surefire future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers in the 2013 Finals matchup between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs.

SI noted that the list is "absurdly long: Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Gregg Popovich, Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, Manu Ginobili, Chris Bosh, Erik Spoelstra."

NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy said he believes the Heat’s young and energetic coach is destined for a Hall of Fame award.
 
“Erik is still in the phase where he gets more blame for their losses than credit for their wins, but he’s going to the Hall of Fame,” Van Gundy told SI.

 “He’s that good. His even-keel demeanor, his humility, I think helps him really get the most out of his best players and you know, it’s fun to watch his teams, fun to watch [Popovich's] teams. I just love the grace and humility both teams play with,” Van Gundy added.

Spoelstra is steering the Heat toward a possible back-to-back championship, if things go the team's way in its NBA Finals matches against the star-studded Spurs.

Heat, however, is hurting from a shocking loss on home court to the Spurs on Friday.

At the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, the Heat lost 92-88 as the Spurs took game one of the 2013 NBA Finals.
 
The Spoelstra-led Heat dominated much of the game but the Spurs came surging back in the fourth quarter.

Fans are eagerly awaiting the battle of the Spurs' Big Three -- Timothy, Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and the Heat's firecracker attack paced by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Rookie coach
 
By NBA standards, Spoelstra is still a rookie coach but has achieved so much. In the past three seasons his team made an appearance in the Finals. In the 2011 NBA Finals, he suffered a heartbreaking loss to Dallas Mavericks.

Spoelstra took the loss as a catalyst to success, reanalyzing his strategies and his team composition.
 
Many thought that he just got lucky in even reaching the finals in 2011 but he silenced his skeptics when the Heat bounced back the next season, beat Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA championship in 2012.
 
Now, Spoelstra and the Heat face another challenge after the humiliating defeat on home turf, and Spurs snagging game one of the 2013 NBA Finals.
 
Will Spoelstra give in to pressure or will he rise again and astound doubters? 
 
Win or lose, Spoelstra has had a good start and the public expects to see more of him in the future.
 
Right now it seems he is just focused on doing his best for the game he passionately loves, one step at a time. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News
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