Miami Heat Coaching Hierarchy, from Bottom to Top

While most National Basketball Association fans twiddle their thumbs, keeping the ring and pinky finger crossed, the air cools over the Miami Heat. As we wait with positive thoughts of heavy glasses, let us take a gander at the past head men.

The Heat have had six head coaches since its inaugural season in 1988 when it joined the NBA as an expansion team. The early years in South Florida are most reminisced for the charismatic, all South Beach aura, bequeathed most affectionately by the former Syracuse star Rony Seikaly.

During the late 80s the Heat were nothing more than a penciled in victory on most opposing team’s schedules. Fortunately for the newly christened fans that trend would not hold true for long. As the talent grew on the court, so did the skill on the sidelines.

From the bottom to the top, here are the most outstanding coaches in Heat franchise history.

No. 5 Ron Rothstein

Ron Rothstein may not retain the title of most outstanding coach in Heat history, he does carry the mantle of the first guy in the big chair on the bench.

Under Rothstein the team did what most expansion team typically do, struggle.

All in all, there were a few of bright spots from the three years that Rothstein was the head guy; the inaugural win against the Los Angeles Clippers on December, 14th 1988, the drafting of Rony Seikaly in its initial draft and the drafting of Glen Rice.

Rothstein guided the Heat to 57 wins in 246 games, leaving the team with a solid core group of young players for the next regime.

No. 4 Kevin Loughery

Kevin Loughery took the keys from Rothstein to start the 1991-92 season. While still young, the Heat were able to post a 28 wins at home, led primarily by the sharp shooting Rice.  

The team finished just six games under .500 and earned its first playoff appearance.

Loughery would again take the team to the second season in his third campaign as head coach. During the 1993-94 season, the Heat finished two games above even and earned a date with the top seeded Atlanta Hawks.

The Heat held a 2-1 lead in the best of five series over the Hawks but were unable to close the deal on its home floor, ultimately losing the series in the final game.

Loughery concluded his career as Heat head coach following the 1995 season, having won 46 percent of his regular-season contest.

No. 3 Erik Spoelstra

While Erik Spoelstra is third on this list as of today’s date, it is very likely that he will finish at the top of this closely-contested race when his tenure is complete.

Spoelstra has taken the Heat to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons, culminating in two first-round outings and one trip to the NBA Finals.

His career winning percentage is 60 percent in the regular season, 59 percent in the postseason and can only be expected to rise the next time the all leather Spalding is back in action.

The Heat were certainly under an unusual amount of scrutiny this past season with its revamped roster; the coach remained unflappable. Add to that fact, the first 20 games were synonymous with the ending of all mankind or something similar according to the national media.

Spo comes in at No. 3 on this list, but it is closer than the separation between Alabama and Louisiana State.   

No. 2 Pat Riley

Just to rehash, this list is based on Miami Heat history exclusively, not the "Fantastic" NBA era of the 1980s.

With that stated, Pat Riley comes in as the second most productive coach in Heat history with his guidance that expands over two decades.

No NBA fan that lives on the East Coast can forget the wars of attrition waged between the Heat and New York Knicks in the mid-1990s.

For his part, Riley lead the Heat to the Playoff in eight of the 11 seasons he coached the team, posting 26 wins in 50 contests. The big payoff for the Heat came just three seasons after Dwyane Wade was drafted.

The Heat came back from a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in what can best be described as the Dwyane Wade Hall of Fame highlight sequence of rolling images. Wade shredded the matador defense offered up by the Mavericks, en route to the highest NBA Finals average the League has ever seen.

For that reason, and the numbers from the previous season, Riley comes in at No. 2 on the Heat hierarchy of coaches.

No. 1 Stan Van Gundy

Van Gundy took over the Heat after Riley relinquished the reins in 2003. In his first campaign with the Heat, the young team finished two games over .500 and made its way into the playoffs.

That run into the second round of the second season caught the attention of more than just casual fan.

Like everyone else who watched the scrappy Heat team, Shaquille O’Neal was very impressed with the young talent from Marquette. Shaq was traded shortly after giving his agent the OK to proceed with his move back to Florida after some trying time in Los Angeles.

The Heat, under the direction of Van Gundy won 59 games in the 2004-05 season, propelling the team to home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference. The Heat fell short in the Eastern Conference finals in Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons, the eventual NBA Champions.

The following season, Shaq missed the first 20 games of the season, the Heat went 10-10 and then the conspiracy theorist began to make valid points.

In what can be best described as unusual, Van Gundy resigned after posting a 60 percent winning percentage in the regular season and a 60 percent winning percentage in the playoffs. Both averages are still the highest in Heat history.

As stated earlier, the Heat went on to win the NBA Championship, yet the situation seemed rather, oily, baby oil oily. One cannot fault a person for seizing an opportunity, right?

While it would be impossible to know if Van Gundy and a full roster could have duplicated what ultimately happened in 2006, I think it's safe to say that the numbers tell a non-emotional story of success during his tenure.