SAN ANTONIO — Erik Spoelstra speaks of the pain of losing the way that a proud mother might speak of the pain of pregnancy: as a necessary experience because of the blessing it produced. It was the intense pain of falling in the 2011 Finals that the Miami Heat coach frequently attributes for compelling the self-reflection that led to a reinvention that contributed to two championships.
"That was a humbling experience for all of us," he has said one way or another since, including exactly this way earlier this season in Dallas. "We had to be honest with ourselves that we had to improve, that the game that we were playing was not good enough."
And it is increasingly possible, with a 3-1 deficit in the 2014 NBA Finals against the savvy San Antonio Spurs, that some of them will experience similar pain very soon: pain that will require Spoelstra to rethink his defensive philosophy the way he rethought his offensive approach three years ago; pain that will require LeBron James to find an even higher form; pain that will require Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to further redefine their roles; pain that will require Pat ...
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Article written by Ethan Skolnick
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