There are some pretty surprising results being produced by a few teams this year. Most of them are surprising because these teams may not even have a single pending 2018 All-Star on their roster. We're halfway through the season and these teams are still hanging tough...
This would seem to speak to the coaching as a major reason for these teams success.
So who's in the drivers seat for the 2017-2018 NBA Coach of the Year award?
Your Miami Heat Coach Eric Spoelstra gets first mention. Is there an All-Star on the team? Is there a true pass-first point guard to keep guys on the same page? Is there a dominant scorer? Are there lights-out shooters? An individual lock-down defender? None of that! Which makes Spo and Miami's performance all the more impressive.
They lose second leading scorer and their designated crunch time go-to-guy Dion Waiters 12 games ago and they go 9-3 since...
Spoelstra's M.O. has always been employing a strong defense, and with Miami allowing the 4th lowest points per game total league wide, nothing has changed. This season the team has 8 players averaging double figures in points per game as well...The guy can coach some basketball.
I believe he's in the driver seat for NBA COY...Unfortunately for him, his rings are attached to the considerable public hatred of one Lebron James, so his respect due may never be dealt...
Doc Rivers with the Clippers has also had his hands full this season. The Clips have had at least 20 different starting lineups in twice as many games, traded away CP3, arguably the best player in the franchises history, have been without their remaining best player, BG, for 15 games due to injury, lost their best perimeter defender, Pat Bev, 11 games into the season, and are led in scoring by a guy who comes off the bench! Gotta love Sweet Lou!
Like Miami, Golden State, and Boston, the Clips are 8-2 over the last 10 games and are rolling despite what people thought, wrote, or said. Doc Rivers is doing some serious coaching this year. He might be sitting right next to Spo in the front seat...
Not sure who else should get mention. Who Y'all got?
Who else is sitting in the car with these cats?
Maybe Tom Thibodeau up in Minnesota? A defensive coach with the 4th best offense in the League? Leading a team that hasn't sniffed the playoffs for 15 years and steering them into the 3rd seed spot out West at the current time? Pretty impressive run for the Wolves so far...
But who is it?
And who will it be once all the dust settles?
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