NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. HEAT

October 1, 2020

Tyler Herro

Miami Heat

Practice Day

Q. Tyler, what did you learn last night about what's different about a Finals game?

TYLER HERRO: I think the intensity was the same as the Eastern Conference Finals. Obviously, we know how intense that was. But obviously you need to play harder. Every possession matters, especially when you're playing a team like that that we're playing. They're so talented, and you do need to play almost a perfect game, so we need to get the right shots, need to play harder, like I said. And we've got to be more physical. We've got to be that team that's the Miami Heat. We need to play like ourselves.

Game 2 I think we're going to come back and bounce back how we should.

Q. Obviously this is your first time in the Finals. Do you have the time to sort of realize where you are, playing on this big stage? And how much does this impact you?

TYLER HERRO: I mean, I do realize we're playing in the NBA Finals, but as a team that's what we've wanted all year. You know, we've got four wins to go to accomplish our goal. No matter how big the stage is, you've got to work it out and be ready to play when that ball tips.

We let one game slip. Obviously, we know how good the other team is that we're playing, so we're going to have to come out in to Game 2 with a lot of focus and energy.

Q. Obviously you had the ball in your hands a lot here in the bubble, particularly in the playoffs, but you've also played really well with Goran. How does his potential absence change what you do in any way?

TYLER HERRO: Yeah, I think it hurts our team a lot, not just me. Obviously, I've been playing with Goran my whole rookie season, from the very beginning. We came off the bench together. You know, it's definitely going to hurt me because he takes some of the handling priorities off of me, and he makes a lot of plays for us and makes plays for myself. At the end of the day it's going to be a big loss for us, obviously, but we feel for him right now. We hope that he can get back, and we know how much he wants to win, how much he wants to help us compete.

At the end of the day it's going to be a big loss if he is out, but next-man-up mentality is how we go.

Q. You guys have used resiliency as a tenet of the foundation of who you are. You obviously have bounced back from losses in these playoffs without defeat. How important will that mentality be dealing with the adversity you have in front of you now?

TYLER HERRO: It will be very important. I think throughout the whole playoff run, you've seen how resilient we are. We'll be down 12 going into the fourth quarter, come back and still win. But we know who we're going up against, and we can't dig ourselves into too big of a hole and try to climb ourselves out of that hole. They’re too talented, and I think like Jimmy said, we almost need to play a perfect game to beat them. It's not just one game; we're going to have to do it four times.

We're just going to have to fight. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be one of the hardest things we do in our basketball careers, but I think we have the right personnel, the right guys, the right mindset to do it.

Q. You guys did start off so well, but obviously the way the Lakers pushed back at the end of the first quarter, they got another run in the second, in the third. Jimmy says the defense has to be the way to stop those things, but is there an offensive response, as well, that has to accompany that if the Lakers are rolling like that?

TYLER HERRO: Yeah. Obviously we know our defense needs to be better. We need to be more physical. We need to rebound the ball. We need to play like the Miami Heat have played the whole playoff run. But like you said, I think the better shots we get, the more shots we make, that will definitely help us to get back and get our defense set, and be able to really guard them in the positions that we want.

Q. How much pressure do you put on yourself for Game 2? And is it that you're just trying to move forward from Game 1 after learning those lessons, or are you taking that with you?

TYLER HERRO: I mean, I always put pressure on myself. That's who I am. But at the end of the day it's just basketball, and that's what we do for a living. We play basketball, and we're playing at the highest level for a reason.

We're going to bounce back as a team. I think Game 2 is going to be a dogfight, as it should, but we're going to come out with a lot of focus and a lot of energy for sure.

Q. Obviously Bam carries so much responsibility on both ends of the court. If he's not able to play, how much changes schematically for you guys?

TYLER HERRO: I think almost everything changes because of how much Bam does for us offensively and defensively. Whatever happens with Bam, I'm sure Coach has some adjustments that we're going to make. I couldn't really tell you what it would look like without Bam. We'll see what happens.

Q. You and Kendrick go back to Summer League over a year ago as rookie teammates. I thought the one silver lining last night was Kendrick's performance in the second half. How good did it feel for you, his rookie teammate, to see him persevere and work through all that he's had to work through and have that kind of game in his first Finals game?

TYLER HERRO: Yeah, I was happy for him. Like you said, we've been playing together since last summer, and he's been through a lot, obviously, from being the starting point guard all year and then to sit out and not really be in the rotation throughout these playoffs. For him to step in, he's been working every single day in practice with the same attitude. He's great in the locker room, and we're happy that he got some confidence last night and got his rhythm going. We're just happy for him.

Q. The process to get to this point is so immense, longer than any NBA season in history. What was it like in Game 1 to see Goran get hurt, to see Bam holding his shoulder, to see Jimmy roll an ankle? Was it deflating at all in those moments, and do you think you guys, if it was, have recovered from that?

TYLER HERRO: I wouldn't say it was deflating, it was just unfortunate to see because we know how hard those guys work, and as a team we know how hard we've worked all season to get to this point. And we're definitely not saying that it's over, but we know how bad Goran wants to win and how bad he wants to be out there to compete with us. We're definitely feeling for him because of, like I said, how hard he works and his will to win.

At the end of the day it's next man up. We're hoping that those guys are healthy and can get back, but we've got to compete. We have a job to do. Whoever is out there, that's who we're going to have to do it with.

Q. Do you simply turn the page from Game 1, or do you use it as motivation moving forward?

TYLER HERRO: I think we can turn the page, but we definitely have to learn from Game 1. We have to look at the film and see what we did wrong. But to be honest, a lot of it isn't schematics, it's about us being more physical, being the tougher team, playing harder. Those three things right there are a big key to why we made it this far. It's going to take those three things to really bounce back and put up a fight.