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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT v BULLSMay 20, 2011Erik SpoelstraMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day ERIK SPOELSTRA: Back to work. It's unusual to have this many days off. It's the same challenge for both teams. Both would rather play tonight. But we were able to get some rest, get healthy, prepare for Game 3. You saw the way the game ended the other night. That's probably what you can expect the rest of the way with this series, considering it's two very competitive, physical, aggressive, defensive-minded teams. And I hope it continues to be games and a series of endurance. Q. Did UD practice today? ERIK SPOELSTRA: UD did not practice. We were running through some offense. He'll be ready to go tomorrow. Mike is not here. His wife is expecting any minute now. Q. How much do you like that lineup we finally got to see with the big three, Mike and UD? What did you like about it and do you expect to see more of it? ERIK SPOELSTRA: It only took us, what, 95 games to get to that point. It was a surprise to all of us. It reminded me of our training camp at the Air Force base. It had been that long since we had our whole group together during the pre-season. It was encouraging to get those guys out there. And it did give us a lift, Mike, UD and the other guys who came off the bench. I think it's something we can build on. Q. Do you expect that from UD, or is it more of a bonus, that he can give you the same thing he gave you the last game? ERIK SPOELSTRA: The 13 points was probably a bonus. We weren't necessarily expecting that. But we've been very cautious and patient to get him ready to this point. Again, he's an effort, energy and intangible player. So we don't necessarily need him to score for us to be effective. It's all the other little things that he does. He's worked extremely hard to get his body right. It probably felt like he could contribute three weeks ago, but we didn't really feel he was ready at that point. So we'll just have to see. We'll see how he responds in the next game. We'll give him some more minutes again. Q. What kind of psychological burst is it just to have the knowledge that if you defend the home court going forward, you'll get to where you want to go? ERIK SPOELSTRA: We have to take it a little slower than that. Both teams have been very successful at home, but we can't take it for granted. This is a possession series. It really is. Even both games. Even when we were down by 23 in Game 1 there, it was still in the balance in the third quarter. They had their burst. We weren't able to overcome that. We fortunately had our bust at the end, 12-2 at the end. It's a series of runs, it's a game of runs, it's a game of endurance. There's not a lot of room for error on either side. So we have to continue to grind and stay mentally and physically into it. It's an extremely physical series, which lends to close games. So even here at home we'll have to play hard and we'll have to play well. Q. There was a point during the season when you always wanted Carlos, and now Mike or Mario on the floor at all times naturally. Starting the fourth quarter, no natural point guard. What's your thinking on that, and was there any concern before bringing back Bibby when you needed more of a rhythm offensively in the fourth quarter? ERIK SPOELSTRA: We were getting some great defensive efforts with the other lineup, and our rebounding was very good. But down the stretch we felt that we needed a little bit more offensive balance and organization. That comes usually with our point guards on the court. Each game is different. We've proven that we'll go different ways. We've closed games in the playoffs without a point guard. We were struggling to score -- 73-all, it seemed like for an eternity -- and then we were able to execute and score some down the stretch. Q. You said it was going to be a very physical series going into it, but when you can put that on film in the fourth quarter especially, how much easier is it to visualize what that intensity is like when you have a 14-10 grind-it-out quarter like that? ERIK SPOELSTRA: When you see all the ice packs on everybody after the game and you see guys laboring to get on to the bus, you see how physical of a series it is. Fortunately, we were able to have some days to recuperate. Our guys are not shying away from it. Neither team is. Both teams have built these habits for the entire season. We've proven we're an aggressive, attacking, physical defense for three rounds of basketball. It's not something we're trying to reinvent right now. In the Eastern Conference Finals it has proven to be the same. So you have two things colliding into each other, and it will often be decided in the last few moments. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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