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NBA FINALS: MAVERICKS v HEAT

June 7, 2011

Rick Carlisle

DALLAS, TEXAS: Game Four

Q. Rick, we're hearing that Barea is going to start over Stevenson. I wanted to know what considerations created that, and what complexities it causes, if in fact that is what you're going to do.
COACH RICK CARLISLE: I'm not going to confirm that. Although someone has put themselves out there with that prediction. I can't confirm that. I have an assistant video guy that would like a date with the T-Mobile 4G girl. But that's not going to happen for him either right now either.
My policy has been the same as long as I've been here - I release lineups 16 minutes before the game. I'll continue to do that.

Q. Rick, can you give us anything on Brendan Haywood's status right now.
COACH RICK CARLISLE: He's going to be active. Yeah. And the plan is that we'll give it a shot, and hopefully it will go well. But we'll see. He's worked hard to reduce the swelling. He's had multiple MRIs, all that stuff. So we've worked up to this. We obviously need him. So, you know, we're hoping it goes well.

Q. Was he pain-free when he tried to sprint and change directions this morning? And how did he move when he changed directions?
COACH RICK CARLISLE: I'm not sure he has gotten to the point of attempting to sprint full bore. I guess my non-medical hope as somewhat of a former player, is that when the adrenaline kicks in and all that stuff, that, you know, that will take over and that will carry him through. But we don't know. We don't know how it's going to go.

Q. Rick, knowing everything, what you do with this team is predicated off the defensive end, still can you talk a little about what you feel your ball movement and penetration has been like overall in this series?
COACH RICK CARLISLE: It's been very good when we've gotten stops and rebounds. When we haven't, it's always been more difficult. That's going to be a fact of life this time of year regardless who you're playing.
And things tip on a fine line. We're keeping count of loose balls. They got two more loose balls than we did the last game; they got 11, we got 9. They produced 14 points, we produced 10. So there's a three-point difference. We've got to be an even or a plus there. Tonight we're going to have to be a plus in a lot of those areas to make sure our game is where it needs to be.

Q. Are there any other hidden stats like that that jump out to you that maybe are not obvious in the boxscore but are dictating the course of these games?
COACH RICK CARLISLE: There's a lot of stats. We've got one of the best stat guys, analytics guys that there is. A lot of that is Mark's vision of this kind of stuff being significant and helpful. Look, Miami has all that information too. That's just one example. I don't think it's appropriate to get into a lot of different stuff. The game can be complex, but it can also be very simple. I just really feel like the defensive end and the rebounding is always going to be a great indicator of how we're playing, because it's going to always have a really strong effect on our offense one way or another.

Q. Rick, I'm wondering, have you guys been physical enough in this series enough yet?
COACH RICK CARLISLE: I think we can be more physical. We've allowed them to get to the rim unscathed too much. There were a couple of plays in the first quarter of last game where we had Wade corralled and then he split us late in the clock, laid it in with one second on the shot clock. There was another one where we had him corralled and he went around us and laid it in. Threw in a difficult runner with one second on the shot clock.
So he's a great player. And so in those situations, whatever energy and force you're putting into your coverages, you have to find another ounce or two. That's just where it's at. He's an elusive guy when he's in the air, but this time of year guys got to be earning it on the free-throw line.

Q. Rick, your team has been pretty resilient all season long. In this position, trying to avoid a 3-1 deficit, how much are you expecting for your team to come out and play their best game of the series?
COACH RICK CARLISLE: I'm expecting it.

Q. What do you have to do differently for you to play a full 48 minutes then, if that's the case?
COACH RICK CARLISLE: Well, I think a lot of stuff I'm talking about. Defensive rebounding, being efficient with the ball. A lot of the plays where Wade and James are getting to the rim are in transition, they're turning us over or we're turning it over and giving them opportunities. They're one of the best steal teams in the league because of their activity and the anticipation of those guys. You know, those are going to be the major indicators for us, taking care of the ball, defense, rebounding. You're talking about possession on offense and then possession on defense. And being able to limit the other team's possessions. Those things are huge.

Q. Let me take a little different approach at that. What do you need from your starting unit that you haven't been getting in this series?
COACH RICK CARLISLE: Our starting unit has done well at times. I just think with our team, with the way we're structured, we bring a lot of our better guys off the bench. So we look at it as a 48-minute proposition, and not necessarily the start of the game, et cetera, et cetera.
Right now Marion is playing too many minutes. That's something I have to look at, take a hard look at. There are different ways we can alleviate that. It's very difficult to ask him to be in a stance and guard the best players on the planet for 43 minutes and hey, go score and do what you do at the other end. That's on me. That's something I should not allow to happen in Game 3. He's out there and he wants to play. Players are always going to want to be on the court.
There are some different things going on that I think we can address. I think we can attack on a whole-method basis. I hope that answers your question.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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