|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS v HEATMay 29, 2012Erik SpoelstraMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: There are things we could have done better, and I'm sure they feel the same way. We didn't feel that we played our best game. I think they feel the same way. And so both teams will make adjustments, but it will still come down to a lot of those effort areas. Q. (Indiscernible) How much excitement is it for you to see these two teams going at it? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: We were expecting to play Boston at some point. We didn't know what round, but we knew we would meet them. We faced them a lot in the playoffs. They've given us a lot of pain over the years, this group. But all that probably is pretty irrelevant when preparing for tomorrow. Q. How prepared do you think your team is for a more physical Boston Celtics team? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: We'll find out. We think we're a physical team. They're a physical team. It still will be about the game and who plays the game better, who plays to their identity better. Our strengths and things that we emphasize won't change from Game 1 to Game 2. Q. You said the same thing last night, that the Celtics will throw out Game 1. There were elements of last night that you probably weren't thrilled with either for your guys. Is it tougher to address change and to clean up and tighten up after coming off a win? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No, I think we all felt that we could have played better. We're weren't as sharp as we had been, particularly in the three games before that. But that's the playoffs. You have to find a way to survive and win, even if you have to do it when you're not playing your best, like last night. And that's one of the things that we're trying to build. We went 5 for 25 from three. A lot of those were good looks, clean looks, particularly for the playoffs. But yet we still found a way to win doing it other ways, defensively and getting enough of our attacks even without making those shots. We feel when we do make shots, it makes it a lot easier. But we're not dependent on that. Q. (Indiscernible) about blocks. Can they mean as much as a mental shift as‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: It's critical. Not only the blocks, but deflections. You play a team like them that have so many threats and they have so many different actions, and then you have Rondo, who is the king of improvisation, that you have to make possession‑saving plays. You can't script everything. You can't prepare for everything, because there are going to be more than a handful of possessions that you've never seen before. And those blocks, the deflections and possession‑saving plays, are paramount. If you don't get those, you don't have a chance to win. Q. Coach, when talk about the transition game‑‑ your guys seem to play some of your best basketball. Talk about when you see LeBron and Wade making those long touchdown passes‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, those are the ones that everybody notices. But we notice the attacks we get off the misses, either fast breaks or second actions. That's when we're at our best. Everyone knows that. We have to be able to get stops to be able to do that, and we have to be able to do it with an incredible amount of energy. Change possessions with speed. Q.  How impressed are you that (Indiscernible)? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: They claim that they are former football players. I don't necessarily care about the highlights. It's more about the efficiency and speed that we play with. That's important for us. Q. Erik, can you talk about LeBron's rebounding of late, and how much of it is a product of with Bosh out he knows he needs to step up and maybe get more rebounds? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yes, that is a part of it. He knows he has to shoulder a bigger responsibility. And the rebounding is key for a lot of different reasons. Obviously, it finishes off our defense, but it starts our offense. And that's probably when we're at our fastest, when he rebounds. He understands that's a big key for us. Q.  In terms of Chris Bosh, with every game you win, how much more of a luxury is it that there's no need to rush him back? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: That's the way we're treating it right now. I just like having him around. Right now we don't have expectations at this point. He's able to do more work. And considering where he was and how we all felt when he was walking off the court, this is incredible progress. I'm not getting ahead of ourselves, but it's nice to have him around. I even saw him in his normal perch before the game sitting in the players' lounge reading off his iPad. That made me feel like he's about ready to get‑‑ you know, for a normal game. He is not, but it's good to have him around. Q. Did he do anything today? Has he done more work? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Not yet. But he's able to do a similar workout to what he did the other night. It's more rehab‑related than basketball‑related. He just happened to be doing it on the court. Q. Erik, Paul Pierce struggled with his shooting in Game 1. What adjustments do you think they'll make to get him going? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He'll make a lot of his own adjustments. He's that good of a player. We know how dangerous he is. An extra day of rest will probably help as well. Q. What do you say to your team when the other team is saying things like "We have to make them hit the deck more" or "We have to make them less comfortable"? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: That's all part of the playoffs. Nope, we're not even going to get into it. It's about the game. And we understand that. There will be a lot of different distractions and noise out there. We have to focus on winning the game of basketball tomorrow night. Q. What did you learn about physical play or how do these guys get a little more prepared for it after the Pacers series? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: That was an extremely physical series. We expect that in the playoffs. I don't think anything will cross the line. I don't. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|