NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

September 14, 2020

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat

Practice Day

Q. In your preparedness for the Celtics, I know there's a great deal to pay attention to. Is there something that is a clear must in trying to find victory against them?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: This is a great competition. Boston has gone through an extremely tough series. They are playoff tested. They're really well-coached. They have high-level talent. You can't expect it to be easy when you get to the Conference Finals. So you have to find a way to get to the competition and play more consistent basketball than the opponent.

I don't know how much more I could say.

Q. At this point was today about just finalizing you? Was it about going through some of their stuff? Was today just last-minute details? When you have had so many days to get ready, what is a day like today like?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: To go through our normal prep. We're not going to try to do things totally out of our normal routine. This was a prep day. It's not a Hunger Games day. It's a mental prep day, as we've done to prepare for other series and as we've done our habitual routine during the season.

Q. I know tomorrow is earlier than originally planned or possibly planned. Will shootarounds be a thing do you think, or in the bubble do you not need them so much because you have the time to meet and walk through and things like that?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Every game, every series, every scenario is different. But we did get news that no matter what we do, practice or shootarounds, that we're here in this building the rest of the way. So we earned that right. No more buses.

Q. I know you said there's not much left to say, but Boston is so uniquely different from the first two teams you played in these Playoffs, that I don't expect you to give away strategy, but shouldn't there be a lot of different things against this kind of opponent with that kind of starting lineup than maybe we've seen against the Pacers and against the Bucks?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yep. Good points.

Q. You guys have a handful of players, Duncan [Robinson], Jimmy, Jae [Crowder], that made it to the NBA through nonconventional routes, D-3, community colleges, stuff like that. How does that show up in this type of setting?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Each guy is different, but we believe in guys like that. So many of us have that kind of background. But that's part of our philosophy, part of our culture are guys that are extremely motivated, driven, have a passion for this game, have a passion for competition and have a willingness to work for it and fight for it. That's our fabric.

But it doesn't matter where you've been drafted or what path you had to take. There's so many different paths to get to this point, to be one of the 450 but also to be part of a winning team. You know, we feel we have a roster full of guys that share the same values about competition.

Q. Can you compare the challenge of preparing for a team that has so many different ways to beat you offensively versus a team that has one shining light that you load up on and know that you have to take away?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Look, you're not expecting it to be easy, and when you get to the Conference Finals there's four teams left, and it's not like the NCAA Tournament where you can just get hot for three weeks. You have to be a good team that has proved it for months, that you've earned that right. The last four teams should be the teams that have the most complexity.

We feel that way. Boston is a really good team. Talented, they play the right way, they defend, really well-coached. You can't expect there to be a pushover when you get to this point.

Q. Ten years ago you went through the adding LeBron and Bosh and kind of that renaissance. This is kind of a different renaissance. Is this more rewarding considering the guys you've brought in and --

ERIK SPOELSTRA: No, I have two sons now. It would be like trying to compare kids. It's not. I'm in this profession to do my job for an organization that I believe in. I feel like I'm a steward of this culture. I've been fortunate enough to be part of the Riley-Arison leadership for 25 years, and we've built many different teams that have looked a lot different, all with the same goal, but there's been many different personalities and makeups and how we put together the teams.

I'm just -- I feel very fortunate to be able to be with this group. I think everybody feels the same way in our locker room. We just want to make the most of it for each other.

Q. How important are the bench players going to be during the whole series against the Celtics?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: It'll be important. It goes without saying. They're a big part of who we are and what we do.