NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT VS. CELTICS

May 23, 2023

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat

Game 4: Pregame

Q. You said today you would give us an update on Tyler.

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yes, he is starting the process. So there's no timetable. But he does have the brace off and he's able to do ball handling and some shooting.

Q. At this time last year, Caleb Martin was a little bit more in and out of the rotation. This year, he's obviously been such an important part of what you guys have done in the playoffs. What has impressed you the most about his growth over the last year?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: That he's taken on a lot of different roles, and he's taken on roles that you typically don't want to take on if you're coming into this league: Doing all the little things, the dirty work and defending.

Then starting for the majority of this season, and then not having any kind of issue coming off the bench and finding a way to be really impactful in both those roles. Those kind of guys are hard to find.

Q. Boston has talked a lot the last few days about how they feel like they have kind of lost their defensive identity and kind of how you guys uphold the same kind of identity they look for. So what are the challenges of having that kind of intensity and connectivity in the heat of a battle like the Conference Finals?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: It's just tough to win in the playoffs, it really is. The more experience you have in game in this league, you just realize how tough it is.