Ako ay Pilipino !

I am a Lakers Fan. No doubt about it. So why should I waste time blogging about other teams. Well I realized that this years NBA Playoff is different because this is not only about being a NBA fan but it is also about being a Filipino.

Yes, I am talking about Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat. Coach Spo, as his staff and players would call him is the son of an Irish-Dutch -American Jon Spoelstra and Elisa Celino of San Pablo Laguna, Philippines.

Spoelstra grew up in Portland Oregon, where he graduated from Jesuit High School in 1988 and from the University of Portland in 1992. At the University of Portland, Spoelstra was the Pilots' starting point guard for four years, averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game and was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.

Spoelstra joined the Heat staff in 1995 as the team's video coordinator. After two years, he was named assistant coach/video coordinator, then promoted to assistant coach/advance scout in 1999. He became the assistant coach/director of scouting in 2001. He was cited by Sports Illustrated (May 30, 2005) for honing star guard Dwyane Wade's "shooting balance and smoothing out his release after the Flash's return from the Athens Olympics."

Spoelstra was an assistant coach with the Miami Heat when they won the 2006 NBA Finals by defeating the Dallas Mavericks, overcoming a 0-2 deficit.

In April 2008, Spoelstra was named successor to Pat Riley as head coach of the Miami Heat. In naming Spoelstra as head coach, Riley said: " This game is now about younger coaches who are technologically skilled, innovative, and bring fresh new ideas. That's what we feel we are getting with Erik Spoelstra. He's a man that was born to coach." Riley also noted: "A lot of players want the discipline; they will play for Spoelstra, because they respect him."

Three years after as head coach of the Miami Heat, if destiny will allow it, Spoelstra can become the first Asian American NBA Head Coach to win an NBA Championship.

As I have said from the very beginning, I decided to make this blog not only because I am an NBA fan but also because "Ako ay Pilipino". I believed that a championship for the Miami is a pride for all of us Filipinos. "Mabuhay ka Coach Spo!"