Sixers Rival Invests Big in Head Coach Extension

76ers rival, the Miami Heat, forked over some significant money to keep Erik Spoelstra around.

Ever since the Philadelphia 76ers became playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference once again, one of their common postseason rivals has been the Miami Heat.

While the Heat have seen their fair share of stars come through the building over the years, a lot of the credit for their success has gone to the head coach, Erik Spoelstra.

As long as the head coach, who excels in getting the best out of everybody on the roster, sticks around in Miami, the Heat are viewed as threats to the conference. Therefore, the Heat have invested a significant amount of money into the head coach to keep him around for almost the next decade.

Spoelstra Inks an Extension

On Tuesday night, it was reported the Heat were locking in Spoelstra long-term. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the head coach lands a record-breaking extension as he’s set to see over $120 million over the next eight years.

Over the summer, the Detroit Pistons made history when they concluded their head coach search by signing former 76ers assistant Monty Williams to a six-year deal worth nearly $80 million. The Heat raised the bar this week.

Spoelstra’s History Against the Sixers

The Heat’s head coach joined the organization in 1997. He held several positions throughout the early 2000s and eventually saw a promotion in 2008 when he was named the head coach.

Under Spoelstra’s management, the Heat have won two titles. The championship victories occurred in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013. 

While the Heat haven’t been crowned NBA Champions since 2013, they have been a title threat for several years recently.

The Sixers found success against Spoelstra’s Heat during the 2018 playoffs, taking them down 4-1 in the first playoff run of the Joel Embiid era. A few years later, Miami got its revenge.

Before the Heat and the Sixers met again during the postseason in 2022, the Heat went on an impressive NBA Finals run in 2020. After sweeping the Indiana Pacers, taking out the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, and downing the Boston Celtics 4-2, the Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Two years later, the Heat faced the Sixers in the second round of the playoffs after knocking out the Atlanta Hawks. Spoelstra’s squad got the best of the Doc Rivers-led Sixers and took them down 4-2 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Heat wouldn’t take home the conference title that year, but they followed up with another NBA Finals run in 2023. Despite being the eighth seed, the Heat defeated the Bucks, New York Knicks, and the Celtics en route to the 2023 NBA Finals before falling short to the Denver Nuggets.

Spoelstra’s playoff series record against the Sixers sits at 1-1. During the regular season, Spoelstra holds a 69 percent winning percentage against the Sixers in 55 games.