NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS v HEAT

June 4, 2005

Stan Van Gundy

COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: Yeah, I'm very secretive in one day and 15-minute practice we were able to install all kinds of new things if we don't have him. So just, I'm sure you guys can't wait to see what it is. (Smiling). We don't know yet. He's going to go out and run around and give it a shot and he'll let me know and when I find out, we'll go from there.

COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: Rasual will start if Dwyane doesn't and we'll go from there.

COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: Well, he was relatively unheralded and I think that probably helped, to be quite honest. He's not a guy that from 13-years-old had everybody telling him how great he was and everything else. I think if you go back, there's a lot of guys like that and I think it's helped him. I think it probably helped with Tim Duncan, guys like that, they come up having to fight through things, they come up a bit more level-headed. I think when you get to this level and the adulation and the money and all of that starts to come, your character is more fully formed than, say, it is at 14 or 15 when people start building these kids up as the next Michael Jordan and things like that. I think it's tough for them to handle. Their attitude doesn't develop properly. Dwyane didn't go through that. I think it's helped him a great deal and I think besides his great talent, you can see the maturity and the intelligence. It really helps.

COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: I can keep a good eye on whether or not guys are effective as you can. Ron (Ron Culp, athletic trainer) will watch him medically to see. He may see some things that I don't see in terms of the way he acts when he moves and things like that. But, no, I'll just watch the game and coach the game.

COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: It happened on a cross-over dribble is what he told me, and I don't know when and exactly how. I certainly didn't have a cross-over good enough or explosive enough to ever get hurt. (Laughter).

COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: Again, I got asked that this morning, and it all depends. It depends what he's able to do and not do and everything else. It's hard to even answer that question because it's so vague, you don't know what you're dealing with. Again, it's watching the game. He has to go by how he feels and we have to go by how effective he's able to be.

COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: The last one on painkillers I cannot answer because I don't know. It will be Dwyane's decision partially, and our medical staff, also. They could pull him or he could say he can't go. If he says he's a go and they feel like he's okay to go, then he does.

COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: Well, Shandon's a great cutter, especially when people want to come and double-team and help. You know, he's an outstanding cutter. He finds seams in the defense. He's able to catch the ball and finish. Shandon's had great moments for us with and without Shaq this year.