Spoelstra, Popovich named Coaches of the Month for February
The coaches who squared off in back-to-back NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014 have been bestowed with the profession's highest monthly honor in their respective conferences for February of 2017.
The Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra and San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich have been named Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, after the last four weeks saw Spoelstra lead his once-moribund squad to the fringe of the East playoff race, and Popovich's ever-consistent Spurs affirmed their place as the West's No. 2.
The Heat went 8-3 in February, including five straight wins to open the month that stretched their season-long winning streak to 13 games. They ranked in the top seven in both offensive and defensive efficiency. And after starting the season 11-30, they now sit just two games out of a playoff spot. It's the seventh Coach of the Month award for Spoelstra, and his first since LeBron James' last season in Miami in 2013-14.
The Spurs, meanwhile, kept chugging along with a conference-best 8-2 month, during which they posted the league's best defensive rating by nearly six points per 100 possessions. For context, the gap between their defense and the Utah Jazz's second-ranked unit in February, was greater than the gap between Utah's and the Philadelphia 76ers' 17th-ranked defense. They closed out the month, as they do every year, with their season-long Rodeo Road Trip. They won six of the eight games away from AT&T Center, to improve their NBA-best road record to 26-7.
It's the 17th Coach of the Month award for Popovich, and his first since December of 2015.