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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS v HEATJune 7, 2012Erik SpoelstraBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Game Six Miami Heat - 98 COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Good win. And now we have a series. That's what everybody wants, right? So we want to respectfully go back to our corner and get ready for Game 7. But it was a good response to the last 48 hours. And we have a very stubborn, tough‑minded group. So now our focus has to continue to quiet everything from outside and focus on how we get Game 7. But it was a tremendous response. Q. Erik, you have seen a lot out of LeBron in two years. Have you ever seen that kind of a determined‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He was absolutely fearless tonight, and it was contagious. The way he approached the last 48 hours, and not only LeBron, but everybody else. It wasn't end of the world. Nobody likes getting thrown dirt on your face before you're not even dead. But he showed great resolve the last day before you get to this point. And you could see it leading up to that. But he was fearless in the game, and everybody followed from there. Q. Coming into the game, Erik, was the goal or plan to play LeBron the whole game? Or did that just kind of work out ‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Pretty darn close to it. I told him yesterday that it was going to be at least 46. I would try to get him two somewhere. I think he wanted to come out possibly when there were six seconds left on the clock in one of the quarters. I said, "Absolutely not. You have to finish that quarter." But he was ready and willing. He said, "Whatever you need, Coach. If that means 48, 53, whatever. Whatever it takes, I'll do." Q. You said that you could tell from yesterday. Can you just describe a little bit more about what you mean, that you could tell about his mindset. COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Well, I think I mentioned it before the game, that this is a very stubborn, tough‑minded group. We've been through a lot. And when you're around a group long enough, you know the looks that you get. I liked the look I was getting back at me yesterday. Q. You actually had more assists than the Celtics did tonight. What did you do to stop the fluidity in the‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't know. Sometimes it's make or miss. Really. That's the way this series has been going at times. We felt we should have won the last two games. There were some tough loose balls, tough bounces that resulted in some untimely buckets in Game 6‑‑ or Game 5. But that's the way it goes. You have to stay the course. And that's why we just want to retreat, go back to our corner and get geared up for the next game. Q. Can you talk about how important it is, even though LeBron is an amazing playmaker, but for him to essentially force the issue and still looking to shoot non‑stop, and not just put his head down drive to the basket but rely on his skill set out of the post. COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, they do a great job of taking you out of some of the things, and so we had to try to get our guys in areas where they could be aggressive. And he came out with an attack mentality right from the get‑go. That just pumped up the entire team up with a tremendous amount of confidence. But he is arguably the most skilled player in this league. And he has a lot to his repertoire, and he was able to showcase a lot of that tonight. But we needed every single bit of it. But particularly him coming out and setting the tone. That's not just the game. Everybody notices the game; we saw the last 24 hours. Q. You said you needed all tonight from LeBron. Were you fearful at all you're going to need all 45 again in Game 7? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He's going to play quite a bit. So he's a playmaker. That might mean he gets more assists the next game. He does a good a job as reading a game and what a team needs to win. And that's on both ends of the court. So whatever it takes. Obviously, that will be one through five as well. Q. Erik, with Dwyane Wade, what did you see from him tonight? Maybe specifically the differences with him in the second half? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Well, he had a big chore defensively, and he was making a lot of plays for us, disrupting a lot of things that they were trying to do. So he was expending quite a bit of energy, and we needed every part of that. I liked some of the action and looks he was getting. He couldn't get the ball to drop down not as much as he wanted to, but I think he was getting cleaner looks than he had been earlier in the series. I think that's something he can build on. Q. LeBron takes more obviously, as you know, more blame than anybody and more heat when things aren't going well. As much as he's hearing all that, maybe more so than the rest of you the last couple of days, do you think part of that is what fuels a game like this‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I think what fuels him is this moment, and the moment will define you. But I think he's also‑‑ we've all done a much better job. We've been through a lot in the last two years. And I think we've all learned how to compartmentalize and quiet all the noise out, and just focus on the matter at hand. He did a tremendous job of that. I don't think he felt all the noise in the outside. He was focused and concentrated on the team and what he needed to do to help us win. That took a great deal of discipline on his part. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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