GAME ON!

Miami days shaped new Knicks coach

Spoelstra reflects on coaching battles and friendship with new Knicks coach Fizdale

When David Fizdale was the lead assistant in Miami, he’d submit daily ideas to Erik Spoelstra, probably knowing the response would be a harsh rejection.

“I would literally throw it back in his face and say, ‘That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Get the eff out of my office,’” Spoelstra recalled Wednesday. “And after two or three hours, one of those ideas would sink in and I would invariably end up calling him back saying, ‘It’s not the dumbest thing, it’s pretty stupid, but it made me think a little bit differently and what if it could be this. …’

“And that’s what I like about Fiz. It’s the constant ideas and creative thought.”

In another working environment, such abrasiveness would sour the relationship. But the bond between Spoelstra and Fizdale was forged to withstand passionate exchanges. They came up together from among the lowest rungs of an NBA basketball staff — from assisting in the Heat video room over 20 years ago — and graduated to coaching the Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals.

“We had some epic, legendary fights because we would challenge each other all the time,” Spoelstra said. “And Fiz was not afraid to share his opinion all the time. And that’s what I wanted. I wanted him to challenge me, question things, make me look at things in a different lens.

“And because of our friendship, we had that type of understanding that we could push boundaries to get the best possible result we were looking for, or to get something different that neither one of us thought. Some of those times were epic arguments where other staff members would have to step in and thought that we were getting too personal about it. But neither one of us viewed it that way. It was about trying to make each other better. I say that all the time: Fiz made me a better coach. He thought the game differently than I did, from a different lens.”

Perhaps this headstrong approach with Spoelstra provides a clue as to why it didn’t work in Memphis, why many in the Grizzlies organization felt Fizdale pushed his philosophies and ‘The Miami Heat Way’ too hard.

Fizdale said he learned from those failures — specifically the failures regarding Marc Gasol — and indicated he’ll dial it back a notch as the new head coach of the Knicks. Regardless of Fizdale’s tactics, the Knicks are still banking on him installing a culture similar to Miami’s.

Among the tenets established by Heat president Pat Riley: top conditioning, top work ethic.

“We’re not for everybody. We get it. We understand that,” Spoelstra said. “We believe in what we do. We’ve adapted over the years but we feel very strongly about the culture here at the Miami Heat.

“We have a culture of consistency, of accountability, of hard work, and we hope that our teams are a reflection of that.”

Fizdale and Spoelstra found out about the ‘Miami Way’ in the video room.

“If you’re going to work in the video room for the Miami Heat, for Pat Riley, you’re going to log some long hours,” Spoelstra said. “(Fizdale) didn’t blink. That scared people off over the years. People that want to get into this business and you start in the video room, we’ve had people drop off like flies, like ‘This is not really what I signed up for.’

“It is a grind but he was fine with all of that.”

Despite the fallout in Memphis, Fizdale had options this offseason and turned down an offer to coach the Suns.

Spoelstra said he spoke with Fizdale throughout the process but, unlike Riley, he was never contacted by the Knicks for a reference. Knicks president Steve Mills said Riley was influential in getting Fizdale to New York.

“After you talk to Pat, you don’t need to talk to me,” Spoelstra said. “You talk to the Godfather and he gives the go-ahead, you don’t need to talk to anybody else. Shut down all the other interviews.”

If the Knicks had called, Spoelstra would’ve only bolstered Fizdale’s candidacy. Now he’s a proud friend.

“I talked to him throughout the whole process so I was aware of the interviews he was going on. He was not fully committed to anything, but as it went on I got the sense New York would be the opportunity he wanted to get,” Spoelstra said. “It’s hard not to understand that. It’s New York. It’s the Knicks. And coming from where Fiz and I come from going back 21 years ago in the video room neither one of us would’ve thought about this.”

We had some epic, legendary fights because we would challenge each other all the time. And Fiz was not afraid to share his opinion all the time. And that’s what I wanted. ERIK SPOELSTRA