Erik Spoelstra moved to within a win of catching his boss, Pat Riley, for the Heat’s franchise’s regular-season record for victories.
Naturally, Spoelstra, 47, preferred not to discuss what it would mean to match his mentor for the most wins in Heat history. It’s not his style to talk about himself to begin with, much less before it happens on Wednesday when the Heat (13-13) hosts the Portland Trail Blazers (13-13).
But somebody who played for both Spoelstra and Riley did have an opinion.
“It’s a helluva accomplishment,” captain Udonis Haslem said after Monday’s win over the Grizzlies moved Spoelstra to 453 career regular-season victories with the Heat, one shy of Riley’s 454 in 11 seasons in Miami.