I hadn't thought of it seriously (that "Spo must go" post was deliberate overreaction with humorous intent by me) but the factually correct tweet by HeatMuse last night got me thinking if all is okay with the maespro. Then I thought Spo's post-game comment was odd, tin-eared:
“These are tough ass lessons to complete a game."
This is not a high school or college team where players aren't mature enough to hold a big lead. This isn't even a young NBA team. This veteran team is not in need of "lessons." 37-8 is not a mental lapse, it's a mental collapse. Spo called three timesout in that 4th quarter.
He did blow Debacle in Detroit I, angrily calling a timeout in OT when he had none; then compounding it by trying to substitute thinking the "Heat" had the ball. That was a unique brain fart in Spoelstra's career.
And he (or the team) did blow an 8-point lead in OT in Debacle in Detroit II.
That's three blown games since mid-November over inferior opposition. That's the difference between 13-13 and 16-10. It reminds me of the Jeanne Dielman movie, a person who does all the detail work in an extremely complex, stressful life (lives), who then just one day snaps.
Spo is one of the top 15 NBA coaches of all time. He is only 54 years old. But this is also his 17th year as head coach of the "Heat". That's a long time in a complex, extremely stressful job.
