Rick Carlisle: Erik Spoelstra Has Toughest Coaching Job in NBA

Even though Spoelstra coaches some of the League’s biggest superstars, his gig is not one to be envied, certainly not by Rick Carlisle. From ESPN: “Without prompting, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle made a point to defend NBA Finals counterpart Erik Spoelstra, praising the Miami Heat coach for ‘the toughest job in basketball.’ Carlisle made the comments at the end of his 30-minute session with the media Tuesday during the Mavericks’ exit interviews. ‘Listen, I would like to say one thing about Miami if I could,’ Carlisle said. ‘I thought Erik Spoelstra had the toughest job in basketball with that team because of the way the team came together and because of the unbelievably high expectations.’ … Carlisle, president of the league’s coaches’ association, was widely credited for outcoaching Spoelstra during the Finals, in which James struggled, particularly in fourth quarters. ‘My hat’s off to Erik and the job he did,’ Carlisle said. ‘It was extremely difficult, extremely trying. We went through a lot of difficult times before we got to our moment. Their time will definitely come.'”