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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT v BULLS

May 20, 2011

Joakim Noah

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day

Q. What's the most important thing you learned from the game that you lost the other night?
JOAKIM NOAH: Learned that we could definitely have played a lot better. A lot of mental mistakes on defense. We didn't play our best basketball, but we were still in position to win the ballgame. But, you know, what I learned about the playoffs is you have to stay consistent. You can't get too high, you can't get too low. You get ready for the next one.

Q. So the fact that you guys prepare (Indiscernible)?
JOAKIM NOAH: I don't think it gives us a boost at all. We have to go out there and play with a great edge on Sunday, play with great focus and just come out ready to go.

Q. You guys did a good job of closing up the lane for LeBron on Game 1. It seems like they did a good job of closing up the lane for Derrick in Game 2. How important is that and how do you go about it?
JOAKIM NOAH: We try to take away as many easy scores as possible. They got a lot of easy scores off of offensive rebounds, not being at the right place at the right time. We have to be a more aggressive team on Sunday.

Q. You guys rarely -- last time you lost back-to-back games was in February. What has been key to you guys rebounding from losses?
JOAKIM NOAH: I think it's just the way you bounce back from adversity. We got punched in the mouth the last game. We have to get up and respond.

Q. How physical is it in the paint in the playoffs compared to the regular season?
JOAKIM NOAH: There's definitely more of a will to win. There's more games in between. There's more at stake. These are moments that will dictate what our careers are and what people remember us as. These are the biggest games of our lives. Everybody is playing like it.

Q. On any road game, much less a big playoff road game, how important is it hopefully to jump on them quick and take whatever crowd is out of the game?
JOAKIM NOAH: The crowd is going to be there. Basketball is a game of swings and momentum. Especially when you're playing a team like that. They're going to make runs, and it's going to be loud in there. We've seen that before. We felt that before. It's nothing new.

Q. Is it a trademark of the team that you have responded well to losses? Does it say something about you guys in particular that other teams maybe don't always have?
JOAKIM NOAH: It doesn't mean anything. It's all about coming out with the right edge. Games are decided by -- even the game -- the first game and the last game, you can say the first one was a blowout, but it really wasn't. It was a close game until the fourth quarter. So realize what we're playing up against. It's a team that can score a lot of points in bunches. We know we have to come out ready, and ready to go.

Q. Haslem hasn't played much this season. Did he catch you a little by surprise?
JOAKIM NOAH: Yes, he played very well. You have to give credit when credit is due. The guy didn't play all year. And for him to come out and play the way he did, you have to give -- I have a lot of respect for that player. It's on us.

Q. How do you combat that in Game 3, what he gave them in Game 2?
JOAKIM NOAH: You combat it. That's what you do. Combat that. Yeah, that's really it. You just have to -- you just have to fight.

Q. How was it having a day off?
JOAKIM NOAH: How was it having a day off? I think it was much needed. Mentally, it takes a toll, but this is what it's all about. There's going to be highs, there's going to be lows. We hadn't had a day off in a long time. Just to get away a little bit from the game and come back today and have a great practice. We're excited about Sunday.

Q. Derrick talked about this being fun. Talk about how Derrick is dealing with all of this.
JOAKIM NOAH: I think it's unbelievable how he deals with it. But that's why he's the MVP. Since he got to the league, he's dealt with a lot, just playing for the hometown, being the No. 1 pick, expectations and all that. He's dealt with that for a long time now. It's nothing new to him.

Q. You talked about how physical it is in there. The word combat. How often can fouls be called on every play underneath the basket, do you think?
JOAKIM NOAH: You mean like -- any time, I guess. The refs have the power to do that. It all depends on how the refs ref the game in the beginning of the game. As a player you have to get a feel for what you can get away with. Sometimes they call it tighter than others. That's just part of the game.

Q. I think there was a sequence where they had a bunch, maybe four in a row. Does that surprise you, though, during the playoffs?
JOAKIM NOAH: Four in a row? Four fouls in a row?

Q. Yeah.
JOAKIM NOAH: You know, that was a tough break for us. Free-throws definitely kept them in the game in that second quarter. They got a lot of scores on free-throws on that. It's just on us to be a little smarter. And we can't put them in the penalty early, especially with the offensive firepower that they've got.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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