NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. HEAT

October 2, 2020

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat

Game 2: Postgame

Los Angeles Lakers - 124, Miami Heat - 114

Q. You mentioned their physicality after Game 1, obviously without Bam, it seemed like the Lakers again, their size and physicality was a factor, especially on the glass. How big of an impact do you think that was?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, it clearly was. In those moments of truth when we had opportunities to get the game closer, it usually seemed to end up in some kind of offensive rebound or something near the basket. But this is the deal and if you want something badly enough, you'll figure out how to overcome it. They have great size and Anthony Davis is an elite player. We're trying to get something accomplished and you just have to go to another level. That's the bottom line.

I love a lot of the things, the way we competed tonight, but I think another level would have put us in a position to have an opportunity, a real opportunity there at the end and that's what you want. That's part of the process of learning how to get to that next level. So we got some time tomorrow to review it, own it and get better.

Q. The next game maybe will be the most important game of the series for you guys. What is the biggest adjustment the team needs to make to win the next game?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, every game is the most important game. Tonight was the most important game. But we'll get to work tomorrow. I need to look at the film, we need to get together as a team and come up with a plan for Game 3.

Q. Two things: One, what does another level look like right now with Bam and Goran on the sideline? And two, what is it about your group, to watch Udonis talk to them in the third quarter, you can see the passion and the resiliency in that guy's veins, what is it about your group that can overcome what the world thinks is an impossible mountain?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: We don't give a (expletive) what everybody else thinks. Whatever -- your first question, how did you phrase it? What will it take? Whatever is necessary. It's simple as that. If you want something badly enough, you'll figure it out. Our group is extremely stubborn, persistent, and we just need to figure out how to overcome this opponent. And that we respect the quality, high quality of opponent that we're playing, you got to figure it out and overcome it.

Q. You said after last game that you just didn't think it was a good example of Heat basketball. Tonight where does that fall on the line between Heat basketball and very far away from Heat basketball?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I'm not necessarily going to grade it. I mean, certainly it was a much better competitive disposition. Our guys brought it and, look, if it ends up being whatever it was 10, 12-point game, then we need to make up 10, 12 points to overcome that. Thirteen, 14 points, to make sure we get the win. That's what we'll get to work on.

But, look, I love these guys. I love the way we compete. We have to figure out how to overcome this and get over the top.

Q. I know you don't want to, I'm certainly not suggesting you go gimmicky or anything, but are you taking enough threes? Do you want to get to a place where you're even getting more of those off, especially early?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I do need to get to the film, but that is a good point. We got it to about 10 several times during the second half, but we rushed some of those possessions and we don't want to play prevent offense by any means. But execute a little bit more with poise and get the exact shot that we want, and oftentimes that shot probably would have been some kind of three. But it takes a little bit more patience and poise and intentionality to be able to generate a few more looks.

Yeah, I think I would have liked a few more looks but we had some opportunities at the free throw line, opportunities in the paint, it was just some of those rushed opportunities when we had opportunity to get that thing to 10, see if you can get that to four.

Q. Obviously with Goran and Bam out, so much fell on Jimmy's shoulders; he played 45 minutes, career high in assists for the playoffs. What did you think about his performance, especially offensively?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I love Jimmy. We're all learning as a group. You lay it all out there, he is a supreme competitor. You can't define him by any analytic or typical viewpoint of how to play the game of basketball because he's going to compete and he's going to find different ways to compete to put yourself, your team in a position to win.

It was 45 minutes of everything he had and career high in assists and he's going to have to get to another level, that's the deal, and he loves that type of challenge, and we have 48 hours to figure that out.

Q. I know it is less about schematics but after playing zone so sparingly in Game 1, what went into the decision to use it so heavily tonight? Was it just personnel that were available and knowing guys were going to have to play big minutes?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: A little bit of everything. Yeah, some of it was personnel, some of it was a different look for our defense. But we didn't finish a lot of those plays, so I don't think it really would have mattered man or zone, there was probably eight, 10 of those possessions where we just did not finish it with that next level of commitment, which has to -- this opponent is going to require us to go there.

Q. Tyler and Kelly had to step into much bigger roles with the injuries. How do you feel like that went?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Hey, they're a big part of who we are, regardless. Kelly got obviously a lot more minutes, but Tyler has been this guy for several weeks. So we're not going back on that now. This is who we are.