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NBA FINALS: HEAT v THUNDERJune 12, 2012Erik SpoelstraOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game One Oklahoma City – 105 COACH SPOELSTRA: Well, this one is behind us now, and we had an opportunity and we felt that we had an opportunity going into the fourth quarter, and about halfway through the fourth quarter we were thinking we were putting ourselves in a position to win, and then they just went away. That's what they do, they keep on coming. They're relentless. They beat us at their game and beat us in a game that's very similar to us when we're playing well. You know, we'll regroup and gather ourselves for a long series and get ready for the next one. Q. The short rotation, what was the decision behind playing just six guys over ten minutes? And do you feel like that might have to change going forward? COACH SPOELSTRA: Yeah, I'm going to have to see who's really available. You know, going into this game we were going to try to keep a tight rotation, maybe not as tight as it was, and give this our best shot. But I'll probably try to go a little bit deeper in Game 2. Q. Can you talk about Kevin Durant? He had a big night, but what you can do defensively. Is there anything else you can do to try to contain him any better? COACH SPOELSTRA: Yeah, we'll just try to keep our bodies in front of him as much as possible. That's much easier said than done. But he broke free a few times to get in the paint for some easy ones and some free throws got him going. He's tough enough when he's out behind the three‑point line with that size, his length. He can get those looks off pretty much clean any time he wants to, but when he gets the easy ones, the basket starts to really grow, and I think he was in a great rhythm tonight. Q. Talk about Chalmers and Battier in the first half, even into the third quarter, and then what happened there where they weren't as effective offensively in the second half? COACH SPOELSTRA: Well, we'll have to find a way to we get them in spots where they can be effective. Mario is somebody that can be aggressive for us to put the ball on the floor and make plays. Shane is more of a recipient, so when the other guys are attacking, sometimes he's a beneficiary of that. We didn't attack as much in the second half. Q. You started the game with LeBron defending Perkins. They opened with Durant on LeBron. Can you talk about why you elected to keep him away from him and might you change that approach and try to get LeBron to work him defensively a little more from the outset? COACH SPOELSTRA: Well, he guarded him quite a bit, and that's nothing new. We've played LeBron one through five every series. Shane started on him, but once we got into the rotation, everybody took their turn on him, and so obviously we have to do a much better job collectively. Q. It looked like you went to Dwyane late in the fourth quarter to see if you can get him going. What was his issue tonight, something they were doing defensively or he wasn't in rhythm? COACH SPOELSTRA: Yeah, we'll get him opportunities to attack, and I think he had a couple good opportunities to get into the paint there in the fourth, a couple of them he wasn't able to convert. But he was aggressive during that quarter, and so we'll try to get him in places where he can continue to be aggressive. Q. You guys were outscored 24 to 4 in fast break points. What do you have to do to slow this team down? COACH SPOELSTRA: Well, we have to get stops. Every time I looked up, they were shooting over 50 percent, and they're a very good offensive team. But we're a better defensive team than we showed tonight, and a lot of those situations were 50/50 balls, they pounded us in all the big muscle areas, the rebounding, second chance points, points in the paint, loose balls, they were quicker to every single one of those. They have players that are tough enough to guard individually anyway, so the areas in between, on the floor, in the air, those are the areas we can and will do a better job of. But when we're not defending, we don't get opportunities in the open court, and then when we don't attack, we don't get as many opportunities in the paint or the free‑throw line. They're fast, they're explosive, so we'll have to adjust to that speed. Q. What did Russell‑‑ he had a slow first half, big third quarter. Was that more him or something you weren't doing defensively? COACH SPOELSTRA: No, I think that he was just getting a feel for the game. The thing about Westbrook is he'll just keep on coming, so it doesn't matter, time, score of the game or what just happened in the play before. He's going to continue to be relentless, and we have to match that relentlessness, and we have that ability. But he had some key plays there in the fourth. Q. With the short rotation, was fatigue at all a factor in the fourth quarter? COACH SPOELSTRA: I don't know. We played big minutes. They had a couple guys that played big, big minutes, as well. You know, because of the circumstances, I had to shorten the rotation, but I'll probably make that change and find out who will be available in the next game. Q. After this loss, what do you take positive from this if you can find a‑‑ COACH SPOELSTRA: Well, we'll take positives. We're a confident team. The thing about it, it's a long series. This group has toughness. It has resolve. And so every game is different, and we've found ways to win different kind of games. Sometimes it's totally dry, sometimes it's ugly, sometimes we have to grind it, but we do have a toughness to be able to bounce back, and we'll have to learn from this and certainly make the adjustments to those speed and athleticism and effort areas that we lost today. Q. Talk about the performance of Chris Bosh and what you expect out of him. COACH SPOELSTRA: Yeah, I think now we have four games under our belt, I think we'll be able to get him closer to his game, as well. He's been very accepting of just trying to fit in. But I think we're going to need more from him offensively and try to get him in spots where he is able to be aggressive right before he got hurt at a high level. Q. Who was specifically not available, and what were the circumstances that forced you not to play some guys or keep that rotation tight? COACH SPOELSTRA: Yeah, the next game I'll be able to go a little bit deeper, and again, this first game we were trying to keep it tight. But I think we'll have a day of rest, guys will be ready to go on Thursday. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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