NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. HEAT

October 5, 2020

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat

Practice Day

Q. Two things: One, when you're down 0-2, it's obvious where the edge comes from; how do you keep that same edge now that it's 1-2? And then a second unrelated question: We kind of lost sight of it last night, the minutes that Kelly has given you the last two games and what he and Meyers did last night, how big a role did they play in all this?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, I mean, the first thing, how do you keep an edge, you know, what we're trying to get accomplished is the toughest thing you attempt to do as a professional. It's as hard as hell. Our guys have seen that. Throughout the playoffs, but in particular in this series, just to grind out and be able to get that win was extremely challenging and tough. You can expect it to be even tougher the next game. That's what the playoffs are about, taking on big challenges. Our guys are really competitive. I know they'll be looking forward to tomorrow night.

To answer your second question about KO and Meyers, they're just great professionals. We've said it all year long that our depth is one of our best strengths. That's not just coach-speak. You have to have the right kind of pros that are really willing to be all about the team, and that requires sacrifice at times. So the minutes weren't always there for them this season, but they contributed in a big way at different points. Meyers obviously starting 60-plus games and KO at various times was filling a really important role for us off the bench. And then you just have these things that are unpredictable that can happen with injuries or with COVID, and they both kept themselves ready, and they're producing when it's needed most with Bam out.

But they're different. You know, I think people look at them maybe and see a similar player. They each bring something a little bit different to our game, and it just helps with our diversity of our menu.

Q. A lot of coaches coach for the teams that they have and then others coach for the team that they want. What has given you the ability through your coaching journey to be able to make those adjustments and adjust to the team that you have so well?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Like what exactly do you mean by that?

Q. Some coaches are like, this is my system, we're going to run it. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work --

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, I don't know if coaches are really as much of that kind of philosophy anymore. I think the game has changed so much that every coach has had to adapt. That's part of the absolute joy of being in this profession is being able to be around different kinds of teams, personalities, coach different styles of play based on that team. We've had to do that several times the last few years, and it's been an exhilarating experience. Can't ask for anything more in this profession than to be challenged and to be around amazing people. Even before this season, we've been around some really cool people, and these relationships you'll be able to develop the rest of your life, and with this group it's like that even more so.

And then to be able to go through this life experience of being in this bubble and going through everything that everybody is going through but doing this together I think has been a really special experience, something that we'll remember for the rest of our lives.

Q. To sort of piggyback off what you were just saying, we just talked to Bam and Goran, and you could hear how badly they want to be out there --

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, yeah.

Q. We see things like Big Face and Little Face Coffee and how much your guys enjoy being around each other. Do you think this group or just in general, could any team survive this life experience if they didn't like each other and they didn't want to be around each other?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't know (laughing). That's tough to say.

Q. Does it help you that your team isn't like that?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: There's a lot of contributing factors. You know, like many things in life, it's not necessarily absolutes. A lot of things can be true. Yes, this group has a connection and a bond that really has grown, I think more importantly where they feel a responsibility to each other. That's what plays out on the court, not necessarily that you get along and you’re friends. That makes the experience more enjoyable and memorable, that we'll remember years from now.

But it's that responsibility and accountability. You don't want to let the guy down next to you. That's a great quality that this group has.

Q. Jimmy has noted throughout the season and playoffs that he doesn't like a Butler-centric offense, that he prefers a collective approach in that space. What is the process, because he does credit you and the staff and his teammates to transition his thinking about needing a performance like he provided last night, what is that process?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: We don't care what he thinks about that right now. We're way past that now. There's no turning back. He has to make some things happen for us. He did that in a brilliant way last night, and he'll likely have to do something very similar to that again. For us to be able to accomplish what we want to accomplish, you can't just be normal; you have to be extraordinary. And he was last night.

He's shouldering major responsibilities on both sides of the floor. This is what he's always wanted as a competitor. This is what we want from him. He's going to continue to get tested and challenged by this competition, and I just love seeing what's coming out of that, that competition.

Q. Staying on Jimmy, playoff performances make guys' reputation in this league, Finals performances even more so. When you got him in the program, considering his skill set, considering his age, was there any thought or conversation about what this Miami experience could do in terms of how you're going to be recognized, if the term legacy or in terms of the level you could reach?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I think that's always there on the periphery. It's not something we have to necessarily discuss on a day-to-day basis. But you walk around our hallways at the American Airlines Arena, there's a lot of legacy and history that I think if you're coming into our building and you're a real competitor and a real winner, you understand it even at an unspoken level.

That ain't for everybody. Some people can walk through those hallways and maybe get intimidated by that legacy and our expectations. He wants all of that. He wants the pressure. He wants the expectations. And he wants the challenge of what this level can bring.

Q. We just got done talking to Goran, and I know you've touched on this a little bit, but how do you reconcile the very human aspect of Goran's disappointment of not being able to play versus the reality of what you have in front of you and you do have to move on and play while still recognizing how difficult it is?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah. I feel like we've been going through that for weeks. First and foremost, I want to empathize and show compassion to Goran and Bam. I meant it when I said it yesterday; I can see it in their soul, through their eyes how much this means to them and how badly they want to get back out here. But you have to compartmentalize as a team, and we came here with a purpose and a task at hand, and everybody is just focusing on that. Whoever is available, until if or when we get those guys back.

And even those guys just being in the locker room and in our huddles, that moves the needle in whatever way they can. There is an energy to that. There is a karma to that, and we'll just see what happens. The body will heal as it will heal.

Q. How unique does it make Jimmy in today's modern NBA where he can have a game like last night without even attempting a three-pointer, just obviously getting most of his points in the paint and just by drawing fouls and getting to the foul line?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, I think if you just constantly try to evaluate him and put him in a box of conventional thinking of basketball, you're just only going to get confused. He is an elite competitor. He is a great basketball player. It's attached to how he impacts winning, not to this modern-day definition of three-point percentage or three-and-D or all these little terms you hear. He's a throwback. It's about how he impacts winning, how he impacts your team, your locker room, your culture, your franchise. He does that in a remarkable way.