Name: From NBA Finals to bottom of standings, Warriors’ Steve Kerr has lived Erik Spoelstra’s current Heat reality
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From NBA Finals to bottom of standings, Warriors’ Steve Kerr has lived Erik Spoelstra’s current Heat reality

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AdvertisementBy South Florida Sun-SentinelFeb 17, 2021 at 9:00 amWhen it comes to going from the NBA Finals to the bottom of the standings, Steve Kerr can empathize with Erik Spoelstra.But only to a degree.AdvertisementAfter advancing to five consecutive NBA Finals, Kerr’s Golden State Warriors tumbled to a league-worst 15-50 last season, amid an injury-ravaged season.While Spoelstra and the Miami Heat aren’t anticipating anything that severe this season, they arrived for Wednesday night’s game at Chase Arena against Kerr and the Warriors with an 11-16 record after last season’s trip to the NBA Finals, dealing with their own injury issues.Advertisement“I think it’s all just part of the experience,” Kerr said of sometimes rapidly going from feast to famine. “And I know Erik Spoelstra, this is nothing new for him. He went to the Finals four years in a row. And a couple of years before that, they had injuries and they won [15] games [when Spoelstra was a Heat assistant]. So I think if you coach in the NBA long enough, you’re going to see a little bit of everything. And that’s what I’m experiencing now.”For Spoelstra, it was a matter of building up with those four trips to the NBA Finals with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. For Kerr, there were those five consecutive Finals trips at the start of his coaching tenure before last season’s tumble and then the 15-13 record his team carried into Wednesday.“To come into the league right away, and coach a team with the talent that we had and get to the Finals that first year was really a dream,” Kerr said. “But, you know, six years later things were a lot different and we got wiped out by injuries and we had the worst record in the league.“So I think you kind of learn as an NBA coach to just roll with everything and figure out your job based on that year’s circumstances.”Among the changes for Kerr has been Golden State moving on from Andre Iguodala, who went from those championship Warriors eventually to the Heat, last season back in the NBA Finals, where the Heat lost 4-2 to the Los Angeles Lakers.WeeklySee what's buzzing about the Miami Heat, including game analysis, roster changes and more inside info. &gt; “Andre’s one of those guys who I will probably keep in touch with forever,” Kerr said, with Wednesday’s visit the second back for Iguodala since leaving the Warriors. “We connect in the offseason, because he’s here. We played golf before the season started, talked a lot about Miami and our team, and family and everything else. So I have a really strong bond with Andre.“He is forever going to be someone I admire for probably the way he played, but the way he thought the game and handled younger teammates, mentored them. He was just an enormous part of the championship era here and we definitely miss him.”From Iguodala, the Warriors moved on to Andrew Wiggins as a primary wing defender.Advertisement“The similarities lie in their athleticism and their length,” Kerr said. “They’re different players. They’re very different. I think Andrew has been really good on the ball. We’ve asked him to guard some of the toughest offensive players who we’ve faced night in and night out. And he’s locked in on that job, and done a fantastic job all season.“Andre was more of a jack-of-all-trades defensively. He guarded everybody. On or off the ball, he just had a knack, much like Draymond [Green], for blowing up possessions by understanding what was coming when he was on the weak side of the floor.”Speaking of comparisons, Kerr offered one between Green and the Heat’s Bam Adebayo.“Bam is a tremendous player,” Kerr said. “He reminds me a lot of Draymond Green because he impacts the game so much on both ends, as a ballhandler, passer, but also as a shot blocker, defender, switching on to smaller players.” Advertisement

AdvertisementBy South Florida Sun-SentinelFeb 17, 2021 at 9:00 amWhen it comes to going from the NBA Finals to the bottom of the standings, Steve Kerr can empathize with Erik Spoelstra.But only to a degree.AdvertisementAfter advancing to five consecutive NBA Finals, Kerr’s Golden State Warriors tumbled to a league-worst 15-50 last season, amid an injury-ravaged season.While Spoelstra and the Miami Heat aren’t anticipating anything that severe this season, they arrived for Wednesday night’s game at Chase Arena against Kerr and the Warriors with an 11-16 record after last season’s trip to the...

From NBA Finals to bottom of standings, Warriors’ Steve Kerr has lived Erik Spoelstra’s current Heat reality

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