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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT v BULLS

May 24, 2011

Erik Spoelstra

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Game Four

Chicago Bulls 93
Miami Heat 101

COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Look, this series is an absolute bloodbath. That game tonight was a total grind. It is very challenging for either team to get into any kind of fluid offensive flow, unless it's in the open court. It's about as competitive and physical as it can be.
There are times where we were frustrated offensively, where we could not generate and execute for open looks. But it was about enduring and staying with it mentally and physically, and then making whatever game-saving plays you can, game-winning plays at the end. And there were certainly several of those, particularly defensively. The two Florida boys, loose balls, really hitting the floor. Dwyane's block there at the end.
He struggled. He was having a tough night for 30-something minutes. We reminded him in one of the final huddles that this is his time to make game-saving plays, whether it be on the offensive end or defensive end. He had two big blocks, a deflection. Obviously, LeBron really helped us and took the challenge guarding Rose, and that great defensive stop at the end. But it's a grind.

Q. Erik, Dwyane, second game in a row had trouble elevating for a dunk. He doesn't seem to be himself. Is there anything physically wrong or is there an issue where he's not at the great level he's been. The first four quarters he was off. Is there anything physical or just the Bulls' defense?
COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No, that's the Bulls defense and how this physical this series is. It's taken a toll on everybody, on both teams. It's as physical a series as I've been around and been in. But he always bounces back.
And the most important thing is he was able to make some game-winning plays there at the end. Obviously, that jumper there in the corner, to have the confidence to shoot that when we needed a bucket, and then again to have those two blocks there at the end, and to force that turnover on the inbounds play, those were big. And it took a great mental fortitude for him to leave the rest of the frustration behind and find a way to help us win.

Q. Erik, you, for a lot of reasons obviously you left Dwyane on the bench a little bit longer than typical to open the fourth. The way that unit, Mike Miller making big shots, Udonis, a lot of dives, a lot of deflections, how huge was those opening minutes of the fourth to set up all that back and forth that transpired in the last 12?
COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: It was critical because at that point we were already playing guys big minutes, and we figured we would have to shuffle guys in and out to try to keep them fresh. Mike gave us a real boost. Really aggressive, looking for his opportunities. They do such a tremendous job of protecting the paint. He was able to break free a couple of times, and we loved it. We love him even when he's taking shots maybe he doesn't think he should. He's unselfish to a fault.
But they gave us a tremendous lift. He was physical and active on the glass at the perimeter position. And that allowed us to give Dwyane a little bit more rest. And then Dwyane was able to finish real strong there in the overtime.

Q. Erik, with the conditions you just mentioned and still LeBron and Derrick Rose managing to shoot it out, I know you're busy, but do you have time to marvel at two great players going like that?
COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: You guys can more. What I see is two remarkably explosive athletes, two MVPs, with an incredible -- both of them have incredible wills to win, going at it. And they have a speed and a gear that you don't see very often. It's competitive. This series is a grind. It's about enduring.

Q. Given that, to talk about the defensive side of that, how nice is it to be able to throw one of your MVPs on their MVP in the fourth in overtime?
COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: And I didn't even ask. I know he shoulders a big responsibility for us during the course of the game on both ends of the court. He had already played 40-something minutes when we made the switch, and he stepped up to the challenge. And that's as tough a cover as you can have in this league. Derrick, I've compared him to trying to corral a tornado. He's so explosive and clever with the ball that it takes a team effort and great individual commitment to try to keep your chest in front of him. Even then he'll find a way to get to the rim. When he gets to his launching pad, he's finishing over the top.

Q. You said you didn't ask, did LeBron volunteer? What happened?
COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He didn't even play 50 minutes. That's what I told him.

Q. When you and your staff work on your defensive plan, how much of it is always talked about Rose?
COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Quite naturally a large part of it is, but we have a defensive system in that we try to stay true to our habits, and they're not strictly a pick-and-roll team. They play in the open court. They get guys on the move. They post-up Boozer. And they're a relentless offensive-rebounding team. So there are a lot of things we have to address on a game-by-game basis. They don't make it easy. It's physical.
So it's about your habits and your instincts, and trying to stay and endure and stay true to those things as consistently as you can.

Q. Erik, you've gotten breakout performances in this series from Udonis in Game 2 and then Mike tonight. Can you talk about getting that unexpected performance from both those guys in those roles.
COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: UD, none of us expected this. I think I mentioned a couple of games ago, you know, six weeks ago the staff was tempering my expectations saying it probably wasn't going to happen this year. But UD was so stubborn that he kept on moving forward and put together a target date. And most players wouldn't be able to be able to play, one, and then find a way to contribute.
It's all about the championship intangibles and heart that he has. He has something different that most people don't have inside of him, that even when he's not impacting the boxscore, he does so many things that help you win. And our defense is stronger because of that.
Mike has really struggled through a frustrating year for him, and we all are happy for him that now he's able to play without really being inhibited by injuries. And he's able to contribute. These are some of the things we anticipated coming into the season. Every team has to deal with injuries. So he had to adjust and learn how to play with both of those guys. Now when it counts they both have been able to contribute.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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