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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS v HEATJune 8, 2012Erik SpoelstraMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Not a whole lot different in the last 12 hours. Just leave it up to you guys if you have any questions different from last night. Q. Do you have to level expectations somewhere? Two days ago‑‑ a day ago, people were throwing dirt on your grave, and today they're booking plans for Oklahoma. Is there a balance there when you say focus on‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No, that's the world we've really tried to live in, is the world of the reality of our team. And everything else is noise and somebody else's truth. I've said this time and time again, you can get whiplash if you try to follow every storyline that's going on on the outside. It can be is very energy‑sapping, if you're paying attention to it, and very distracting. We don't trust it. We don't trust it when they're saying negative things about us or nor when they're saying positive things about it. There's a truth somewhere in between, and that's what we're focusing on. Q. Erik, because you're home and because it's 3‑3 instead of 3‑2, how do you match the desperation level? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I think both teams will come out with the appropriate levels of urgency. That's the beauty of a Game 7. We fought and earned the right to have this in our home court. We don't take that for granted and we don't assume that will take care of anything. We're going to have to play, compete at the same urgency level we played at last night.  But we'll also have to play well and probably have to beat them when they're at their best. And that's the way it should be. Q. Just following that, we know you're going to talk to the team before the game. But really with everything on the line, is there anything you need to say to them? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No. We'll discuss the opportunity again and to focus on the moment and playing our best basketball each possession. I thought we did a better job of that last night, of not being caught up in anything else but playing that possession and competing as hard as we could and doing it with a focus and a discipline. And it will require that tomorrow, whether it's 48‑53 or whatever. We have to have that same mentality. Q. Two strategy things from last night. One starting Wade on Rondo, and also not fronting Garnett as much. If you could talk about the thinking that came about‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Whatever it takes. This series is changing. There's been adjustments on both sides. That doesn't necessarily mean that's the way it will go tomorrow night. We'll have to read the game. By any means necessary. That's what it's about. Q. After a few hours for it to sink in, how would you describe what it was like to watch LeBron James perform the way he did last night? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, it was a fearless performance. And will probably go down as a historic playoff performance. We needed every bit and minute of it, and maybe we'll need that again. But he's a brilliant basketball player that will read the game and whatever we need. Maybe it's more assists tomorrow night, maybe it's rebounds. Who knows. But he'll be there tomorrow. Q. Does Chris' role continue‑‑ by role I mean minutes‑‑ continue to evolve? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: We'll see. I think we had good communication during the game. He asked to come out twice. It's not a normal rotation where you're slotting, okay, you're going to play this many minutes. You're going to come out and rest this many minutes. It's on the fly. They're going through the same thing. But we're able to give him enough rest and get him back in there and allow him to be effective. Q. Will he start? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I'll give you the card tomorrow. Q. Erik, even though Chris is not full speed, he seemed to have a fairly profound effect on the defense when he was in there. What were you seeing out of his impact? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Come on, he's an All‑Star player who understands our defense. He's a versatile player. He can guard multiple positions. So this series requires that because it's so unconventional both ways. It's both teams playing different lineups. You need somebody with that veteran experience, but also an understanding and ability in our defensive system. Q. Did playing Joel in that spot‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: That was important. Those minutes were important. UD had four fouls. I didn't feel comfortable putting him back in that early in the fourth quarter. And that's what it's about right now. This series has changed for both teams. If you look at who's playing and the amount of minutes last night compared to Game 1, it's been a dramatic shift. But everybody is pure about it, and whatever it takes. Whatever that role, however small it may seem. Norris Cole's minutes are important. Those are important minutes. Even if they're less than 10 minutes a game. Mike Miller's 16 minutes are important. Joel's minutes‑‑ didn't play in the fourth quarter because of foul trouble. You get called upon, you have to produce, and you have to do it with a purity of mind. That is never in question with Joel. He's one of the most pure guys I've ever been around. Q. In the same vain, can you talk about the defense that Mario and Dwyane gave you in the back court, especially in that second half? Seemed like they really picked you up and kept everything going. COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, and you have to make multiple efforts against this team. We'll probably have to make double the efforts that we made last night. Particularly in transition. Rondo will be very aggressive. But those guys were active, making multiple plays, deflections, rebounds. Rio had the sufficient assignment of chasing Ray Allen to our help all night long. And you have to be relentless with that. You relax for one second, he makes you pay. Q. How much of a chess match is this between say you and Doc from game to game and within the game? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: That's the playoffs. I'm not getting caught up in the storyline of it. But every series it's a requirement. So the series looks a lot different than it did at the beginning. And that's the way it should in a very competitive Conference Finals. Q. What did you think of Doc's comment that they're packing for a week? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't care. Q. For LeBron's performance, did it go down as one for the ages? Do you guys need to win tomorrow for that to validate‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: We're just focused on winning for us. Q. I'm just trying to put that whole performance in perspective. COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah. You will probably get a better perspective from somebody else than me right now. I think the important thing, it was an historic performance last night. He is committed right now to do whatever it takes, and it might be another effort like that tomorrow. It might not be needed to be that great. But whatever he is asked, he'll do tomorrow. And our focus for the next 24 hours is eliminating all of this and focusing on just the game. It's the same idea the other night. While all of it was negative, I don't know what the storylines were there, but probably half of them have shifted. None of it is reality. Our reality is what we need to do to prepare to win tomorrow. Q. How much more difficult is it when you're facing an elimination game, an ultimate game, a Game 7, whatever, to keep things somewhat normal? Do you retain somewhat the same ‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: That's the personality of this group.  If we didn't have the opportunity to live in this world for two years where we don't get caught up in the‑‑ now all this, the ups and downs and the roller coaster ride of it‑‑ the guys have built up a resiliency and a mental toughness just to stay the course and stay focused. I don't think this group gets too high, they don't get too low, to jittery or anything. If anything, the big lights, the moments like last night, the moments like tomorrow are moments that these guys froth at the mouth for. They clamor for those more than the less‑than‑normal moments. Q. Do you handle them differently? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No. For tomorrow? No. We'll have our normal shoot‑around. We're going to get to work tomorrow. Q. You said a couple of times that LeBron will do whatever he needs to do tomorrow night. How do you make sure the rest of the guys aren't standing around waiting for him just to do whatever it takes? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Well, they might‑‑ everybody will be ready. And every game has been different. We've been tested already in the playoffs where different guys have had to step up. Sometimes it's been our role players. Sometimes it's been Dwyane. Now that we have Chris back, he's been giving us an impact. We've had enough experience and trials in this playoff run so far to realize that there are a myriad of different ways you have to win. And it won't be the same blueprint every night. Q. Do you think Chris is back, from the efficiency standpoint, to where he was pre‑injury? And if not, where might be the last‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't care. He just has to help us win. He helped us win last night. It's an extreme situation, bringing somebody back in the middle of a very competitive Conference Finals. He's very even‑keeled in the mind. So if anybody can handle it, he can handle it. He gave us excellent minutes last night on both ends of the court. Q. Did you see him today? And if so, how does he feel physically? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He felt fine after the adrenaline rush of last night. He's coming in right now to get a workout in. And that also says a lot about him, that he knows he has to continue to fight to gain his rhythm and to keep on trying to get closer to that form that he was playing at at the end of the year, which was his best basketball. We don't need him to play at that level to win. He just needs to continue to help us win in ways that make us different. We're a different basketball team when he's on the court. There's no question about it. Q. How does he open things up on offense, particularly for LeBron? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He's very skilled. You have to guard him. He's a great shooter from outside, a great passer, he's a multi‑dimensional player offensively. We've said this now for two years: He was our most important player, because he's the guy that makes it all work. You see a little bit of that right now. And that's why that was a big adjustment. When he was out, we had to reinvent ourselves. Q. Whichever team wins, what's the challenge posed by Oklahoma City getting all the (Indiscernible)? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: All due respect, next question. Q. Erik, you all obviously didn't play a lot of two natural bigs together the first five games. But having Chris back to be able to use him more last night, how do you like that combination? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Whatever it takes. This is an unconventional series. It's a physical basketball team. So when we play with size, we're more physical. But it changes possession to possession, quarter to quarter. This series is unconventional as any series I've been around, in terms of the different match‑ups and the lineups that have been thrown out there by both teams. Q. When you're in the fight, as you would put it, were there moments last night where LeBron would do something and even you would take a split second‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I knew he was having a great performance. It would be hard not to. But we were still all focused in the moment, and I think that was the beauty of it. 15 people and staff being able to compartmentalize and stay in it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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