Fansided

5 biggest surprises of the 2016-17 NBA season

By John Buhler

Mar 24, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni points towards guard James Harden (13) after a play during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni points towards guard James Harden (13) after a play during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Mar 11, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra stands in front of his players during a timeout in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 104-89. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra stands in front of his players during a timeout in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 104-89. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

1. How did Erik Spoelstra make the Miami Heat a playoff team this year?

It isn’t debatable any more. Erik Spoelstra is an outstanding NBA head coach and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. He may have won two NBA Finals and been to another two with the help of LeBron James and company, but 2016-17 is his most impressive coaching job to date.

It’s been two years since LeBron decided it was time to come home. Dwyane Wade’s 13-year marriage with the Heat came to an end this summer over $2 million. Let’s not forget that Chris Bosh’s medical issues have cost him presumably the rest of his NBA career.

2016-17 was so bleak for the Heat that team president Pat Riley had to go on Miami radio to tell South Floridians to be patient with this young team. When has South Florida ever been patient? There’s nightlife, beaches and stuff to do. No time for bad NBA basketball.

With Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and a bunch of guys that could have tried out for the Major League Cleveland Indians for all we know, Spoelstra took this atrocious basketball team and has them vying for a No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Next: Best NBA Teams To Never Win NBA Finals

Dion Waiters is becoming a cultural phenomenon in South Beach as the outspoken leader of this team. This team had no reason to push for playoff positioning, but Spoelstra wasn’t going to have any of that tanking nonsense. With so many organizations conceding to lose on purpose, the 2016-17 Heat have been a shining example of why it is important to play hard every night. For that reason, nobody wants to see Miami in the first round later this month.

Home/NBA