NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT VS. CELTICS

May 17, 2023

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat

Game 1: Pregame

Q. How do you think Duncan Robinson held up defensively in the last series? And as great as Brunson was, is Tatum a degree or two scarier in regard to attacking certain defenders in the pick-and-roll?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, at least we know what some of the playbook will be. It's not a mystery. We've been dealing with that for quite a bit. You have to manage whatever comes your way. We've gotten a lot of reps with that.

Tatum is super unique. That's why he's one of the best players on this planet. He has that attack nature, but he can also just light you up from behind the line, depending on how the game is going.

You have to compete more than anything. It's not schematic. That's part of it. But when you're dealing with great players, you have to find a way to overcome it.

Q. You know a little something about the challenges of being a young coach taking over a high-pressure situation. What do you think of the job Joe has done with this team?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, I think he's done a great job. I've gotten to know Joe a little bit over the years. He's a sharp guy. His care factor is through the roof. His maturity is beyond his years. He's been in this program for a while now. I think that's probably what's most relevant. He knows what's important to this organization, and he has a lot of experience with these guys. He's earned their trust. I think he's done a great job.

Q. What do you remember about your first year? Was it overwhelming at times?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't remember. I remember getting heckled like crazy my first game in New York. That was my first game of my career. Everybody was saying that I was out past my bedtime. (Laughter.) I do remember that.

Q. Were there overwhelming moments? Did you doubt yourself ever in that first year?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, that's my nature, though. I still do. Yeah. I was beating myself up quite a bit. Yeah.

Q. What are some of the challenges for a young coach in that nature of having that confidence and continuing to have confidence in themselves?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't know. I think just going through the fire. Going through the experiences. Every situation is different, so I don't know what it is like in this locker room, this building. But I have a lot of respect for Joe. We have a couple mutual friends. We saw each other a bunch in the bubble. That's probably where I've seen him more than the last three years. We always just seemed to be bumping into each other all the time in the bubble.

You go through it, the experience. That's the best thing, the most valuable thing. What he's done this year is not easy. You definitely have to respect that.

Q. What growth have you seen in Jaylen and Jayson three out of the last four years in the Playoffs? What growth particularly in them as playoff players?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, in a similar regard, if you're in these kind of situations over and over and over, you just continue to find more confidence in different solutions, more experience. They have a lot of pride, being great players, and they're winning players.

They've been through a lot of stuff together. I think that stuff matters. They're definitely different than who they were four years ago.

Q. There's been a lot of attention on the draft this week. What do you like or appreciate about undrafted guys?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: We like both angles. I understand the narrative, but some of our best player development projects have also been lottery picks. You can make a case that Bam is one of the best examples of that. Tyler is another one.

The undrafted guys, it depends whatever your organizational philosophy is. We don't typically have a ton of draft picks. That's just us. It's not right or wrong; that's just our philosophy. So we have to stockpile and develop our talent base sometimes in different ways to fill out a roster.

We've had great examples over the years. It's always easier when you have guys like UD that have been the example. Anthony Carter, Malik Allen, Chris Quinn, all these guys that kind of set the stage for the next generation of those guys. They're the ones that are working with these guys. But if you have a big dream and want to be challenged, we feel like we can be the place for a lot of those kind of guys.

There really isn't much difference between maybe the roster spots from 10 to 15 to guys that are out of the league or in the G League or overseas. There's not. It's all about timing and fit and what a player's fortitude is.