Early in the coaching careers of Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy and Rockets lead assistant Jeff Bzdelik, they had desks 10 feet apart for six years under Pat Riley with the Miami Heat. Nearly 20 years later, both still use some of the defensive principles from their time with the Heat.
"They went out and got Jeff Bzdelik and Jeff's a great defensive coach," Van Gundy said. "He did a great job when he was the head coach in Denver. He really understands defense. He has them playing a lot harder.
"The defense is getting better. Mike's always been a little better defensive coach than people have given him credit for.