NBA Playoffs 2012: Is Erik Spoelstra NBA's Most Underrated or Overrated Coach?

When all else fails, blame the head coach—or, in the case of the Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra.

Watching Miami force a Saturday night Game 7 on Thursday was bittersweet for Heat fans and a quintessential reminder of just how nauseatingly unpredictable Spoelstra's job can be.

Any loss the Heat incur sends a whispering of trade speculation throughout NBA circles, but before the Big Three would be dismantled, it's Spoelstra who would be shown the door. And that's the unsettling dynamic running rampant throughout South Beach right now.

When the Heat win, we have their plethora of star power to thank, but when they lose, it's on Spoelstra, more than Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and even LeBron James. Spoelstra can do no right when the going is tough, and when it's good, he's but an afterthought.

And to a certain extent, there's a case to be made there. Neither James nor Wade—the two usually responsible for any Miami victory—are learning from Spoelstra. They are forever evolving of their own accord, and their bag of tricks are their own, and not the product of some brilliant coaching scheme.

But that's just it. Imagine coaching players who don't answer to you. That's the predicament Spoelstra finds himself in. He's responsible for the well-being and performance of the rest of the Heat's roster, but for James and Wade, he's merely responsible for not getting in their way.

Visible or not, there are a plethora of strings attached to Spoelstra's job. He's not free to make decisions solely upon his better judgment, but is also forced to cater to the egos of two players he has no real authority over.

Neither James nor Wade is as coachable as a player like Kevin Durant. Where Scott Brooks can pull Durant to the side and talk strategy or correction, Spoelstra must bite his lip.

He will be hunted if the Heat begin to implode, or even suffer a loss, but he'll never be revered if they win a title and he'll never be appreciated for coaching one of the most unbalanced rosters in the league.

But that's what makes him invaluable: having refused to succumb to the rigors of the toughest head coaching job in the league.

Mike D'Antoni couldn't make it work with Carmelo Anthony, Nate McMillan lost the locker room in Portland and Mike Brown's opinionated ways have left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Lakers and their fans.

But Spoelstra? His greatest flaws are the result of unreachable expectations. He's supposed to accomplish everything, but do almost nothing—a near impossible task that would have sent most coaches toward the unemployment office.

Amid the complexity of it all, though, Spoelstra has made the best of his situation. No, the Heat haven't sidestepped negative headlines, but just imagine how much more drama would exist if a hard-headed, somewhat stubborn and egotistical coach like Pat Riley truly ran the show?

That alley-oop pass from James to Wade is not a testament to the effectiveness of Spoelstra as a coach; but his ability to brush off altercations and stand behind his players, specifically his stars, no matter what, is.

And his willingness to accept the restrictions of his position yet maintain a winning-oriented state of mind makes him great.

In the most unrecognizable, underappreciated fashion possible.

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