NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

May 21, 2022

Kyle Lowry

Miami Heat

Game 3: Postgame

Miami Heat 109, Boston Celtics 103

Q. Kyle, how did it feel to be back? How did you feel being back, and sort of what's it like, you finally get whole, first game in how long, and Jimmy and Tyler gets hurt, the whole whirlwind?

KYLE LOWRY: I ain't going to lie. I ain't pay attention to your question. What was your question? I'm sorry.

Q. To rephrase, what was it like to back after missing four games and what's it like, as I said, when you thought you had everyone together and you lose Jimmy and Tyler gets hurt?

KYLE LOWRY: Felt good to be back. Honestly, I've only played four games, before tonight, in the playoffs. It's tough trying to find a rhythm. But just having an opportunity to be out there with my guys is always fun.

You know, injuries are a part of the game. That's the part that sucks about the game, the injuries, and you know, this is tough. Jimmy is a warrior. Tyler is a warrior. But we have to continue to stay focused on what we did as a group tonight and hopefully those guys will be back and ready to go next game.

Q. Is tonight an example of you, the coaching staff, the team, getting Bam going, or is Bam taking it upon himself to get going?

KYLE LOWRY: Bam took it on himself. He came out aggressive. He was focused tonight and he really took it upon himself to be aggressive, to be assertive. We made some adjustments and we did some things to figure out how to get him going. He made some mid-range jump shots, got it going, quick moves. It was good. It was good for Bam having a night like that, and we have to continue to get better.

Q. Do you necessarily want to see him take 15, 20 shots in the next game?

KYLE LOWRY: I just want to win. I don't give a damn how many shots he takes. A win is a win. If he takes five shots, if he takes ten shots, if he takes 20 shots, don't matter, as long as we win the game. It's a team effort. It's not about individuals.

Q. Are you feeling close to 100 percent and how hard was it to be patient the last few games, sitting out and waiting till the right time?

KYLE LOWRY: That's a good question. Oh, you want me to answer? I feel fine. I'm out here playing. You know, this has been a process for me. It's been a long journey with this type of injury. My training staff, our training staff, our coaches, our organization, we have been on the same page and communicated with everything, team doctors. That's the most important thing is that we are all on the same page.

And going forward we are going to continue to have open dialogue, open communication and just continue to find ways to help me be on the floor.

Q. You didn't personally take lumps in Game 2 the way your teammates did. They talked about wanting to come out assertive and aggressive. What was your approach to trying to get off to a good start today?

KYLE LOWRY: Just play the game. That team is a hell of a defensive team. They have the Defensive Player of the Year. They have Second Team All-Defensive guy in Robert Williams. Al Horford is a really good defender. Grant Williams is a really good defender. Tatum, Brown. They are tall and aggressive. But for me, it's about the pace getting easy looks. Trying to find relief baskets is huge in this series. That's what got them going at the end of that half, with Tatum getting a couple layups, fast breaks. We have to find ways to separate ourselves a little bit and get easy buckets.

Q. What have you noticed about Erik and the coaching staff, especially after losses in games where you need to respond the following game?

KYLE LOWRY: You really called him Erik? Wow. Spo is awesome. I think his constant communication, his constant up-front, always open and making sure we are all on the same page. His game-to-game adjustments, his psychology of what, you know, he thinks we should do and what the other team may do is always -- it's crazy to see it. He's really good at just being an open and an up-front coach.

Q. You've been in the league a lot of years.

KYLE LOWRY: Damn, dog, thanks.

Q. With the injuries you've had to overcome, you could have rolled over in the second half. What is it about this team that allows the mental toughness to keep pushing forward and close the way you guys did?

KYLE LOWRY: Found a way. Something about this team is just that we have guys that are hard workers. Udonis always says we all got it the hard way, all of us. A lot of undrafted guys, a lot of lower-round-pick guys, second-round guys. We all found ways to make this our living and found ways to do our job at a high level and to be here and to stay. That's big for us.

A team like that, just got to keep going. No matter what happens, at the end of the day, if you put your heart out there and play hard, you've got to be happy and just live with the results, and that's what we do.