Spoelstra not getting enough credit—Vogel

For all the hard work he has done in molding the Miami Heat into a ferocious two-time NBA champion, Miami head coach Eric Spoelstra did not get enough credit for his role.

This is the observation of Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel who was all praise for the Filipino-American mentor.

“He gets not nearly enough credit for the job he’s done on that team. He’s got probably the toughest job in the NBA when it comes to the expectations of dealing with the superstars that they have there and making them gel as a team,” said Vogel after his team’s practice session at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Vogel and Spoelstra, two of the youngest and brightest basketball minds in the league today, were at odds during the NBA Playoffs last season when their respective teams clashed for the Eastern Conference crown. Spoelstra’s Heat eventually won that series in seven games before eventually taking the crown against the San Antonio Spurs.

“That’s why they won the championship because of his ability to get them to play as a team. Talent doesn’t win championships. You got to play as a team to do that,” Vogel added.

As much respect as Vogel has for the Heat, he and the rest of the Pacers are bent on toppling the giants with the key acquisitions of several players.

“We made a lot of moves in the offseason which would allow us to take that step. Luis Scola, Chris Copeland, CJ Watson, the drafting of Solomon Hill, the return of Danny Granger – all these would make us a stronger team. We’re going to grow from the experience we had last year and try to take that next step,” shared Vogel.

Unselfish philosophy

The 40-year old, who once served as a scout before landing assistant coach duties with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, also boasted of his team’s unselfish philosophy.

“We don’t have a number one guy. We’re a team first. That’s the identity that we’ve embraced. Nobody cares about individual play,” said Vogel of the team’s philosophy that worked wonders last year, allowing them to finish the season with a 49-32 mark, good for the third seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Heading to tomorrow’s game, Vogel admitted that they won’t be playing their normal rotations but will focus instead on finding the right combination of players that they can utilize once the season starts later this month. He also aims to integrate the returning Danny Granger who he described to be “out of sync” in his first game back from a knee injury that kept him out for most of the season last year.

He also praised the popularity of the NBA brand in this country.

“I just love that the NBA game is so global and the support here in the Philippines is a little overwhelming to me and fascinating. Something I really embrace and something so good for our game. The people here are just fans of the NBA game. A great support, a great love for NBA basketball.”