Miami Heat
Van Gundy spent twelve years with the Heat organization, beginning as an Assistant Coach to Pat Riley in 1995.
After working as an assistant under coaching legend Pat Riley, Van Gundy was named head coach when Riley abruptly resigned as coach prior to the 2003–04 season. However, Riley remained on as President of the team. Van Gundy took over a team that had won 25 games the previous season. He led them to a 42-win season, in which they won a very high percentage of their late season games and surprised many by advancing to the second round of the 2004 NBA Playoffs, nearly defeating the team with the league's best record, the Indiana Pacers, due to the strong play of rookie Dwyane Wade.
During the off-season, Shaquille O'Neal demanded a trade and made Miami the only viable option for the Lakers to make a transaction with. Riley gave up Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a future first-round draft choice, replacing three of the team's starters, including an Olympian and a future all star, with O'Neal. The Heat ended the first half of the season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, allowing Van Gundy to become the first Heat coach to coach in the All-Star Game, leading the East to a victory. The Heat finished the season with 59 wins, earning the best record in the conference.
The Heat went on to advance to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Detroit Pistons. Injuries played a factor in their defeat, particularly a rib injury to leading scorer Wade during Game 5, which prevented him from playing Game 6 and severely hindered him in Game 7, both Piston wins. During the 2005 off-season, it was widely speculated (with no evidence) that Pat Riley was attempting to run Van Gundy out of his coaching job after Van Gundy had led the team to a position of dominance after Riley had abruptly abandoned it less than two years earlier. Whether or not these rumors were valid (and, indeed, Miami sportswriter Dan LeBatard has said Van Gundy resigned by choice and was not in fact forced out by Riley), Van Gundy indeed resigned from his position as head coach on December 12, 2005. Riley replaced him as head coach, and led Miami to its first championship that season.
Van Gundy had a winning percentage of .605 with the Heat (112–73).
Read more about this topic: Stan Van Gundy
Famous quotes containing the word heat:
“Glories, like glow-worms, afar off shine bright,
But looked to near, have neither heat nor light.”
—John Webster (1580–1625)