NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

June 11, 2023

Haywood Highsmith

Miami Heat

Practice Day

Q. In the first game you played 20 minutes, and since then your minutes have been a little more sporadic. What's been communicated to you as far as staying ready and your role in this series?

HAYWOOD HIGHSMITH: Yeah, my role just overall is just always to be ready, and just when my number is called throughout this series, so I'm just going to continue to stay ready.

Obviously minutes have decreased, which it is what it is. I'm just trying to do what's best for the team and hopefully we can win, so I'm just ready when my number is called.

Q. How important are Kyle and Kevin's voices in this situation?

HAYWOOD HIGHSMITH: Yeah, they're big vets in this league. They've been through it all, won championships, so they know what it takes to get there and they know what it takes to come back from down 3-1.

We're definitely going to look to them for a lot of advice because they've been in this situation before. It's big having them in the locker room. Them two OGs have won championships, Spo has won championships, so we have a lot of good leadership in the room.

Q. What's been their advice?

HAYWOOD HIGHSMITH: Just take it one game at a time. Just the main focus right now is getting back to the 305 and just go from there. It's not easy to be in the situation the Nuggets are in, up 3-1, because they're playing back at home for Game 5, so we're just going to take it one game at a time.

Q. What are you most tired of hearing in the last few days?

HAYWOOD HIGHSMITH: That's a great question. That this series is over. It's the first to four, not three.