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NBA FINALS: HEAT v THUNDERJune 14, 2012Dwyane WadeOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Two Miami – 100 Q. How much did the lineup change with Bosh? Did the starting lineup really help you guys get that big lead in the first quarter? DWYANE WADE: It was key, you know, having our best players on the floor early, especially when we needed to start off great. We needed to come out and we needed to play well from the beginning. So Chris came out just like the rest of us, very aggressive, and that spreads the floor, especially when he's out there and can shoot it from the three. He's a great shooter, so he spreads the floor, gives us more gaps to get to the paint. We're glad he's back playing his regular minutes, and that's going to be key for us the rest of the way. Q. Talk about the defense. You kept these guys under 34 percent, no points in fast breaks first half. Talk about that. DWYANE WADE: Well, obviously after the last game with them getting a lot of fast break points, that was something we tried to come in and tried to contain as much as possible, you know, and make them shoot tough shots in front of us. This is a very good offensive team, they've got some very talented offensive players, so you're not going to shut them out, but you can try to make them take tough shots and try to contain your turnovers and try to contain offensive rebounds so they won't get so many opportunities. I thought early on especially we did a good job of that. Q. Coach Spoelstra said that watching the film session after Game 1 was nauseating. What were you thinking watching that film session and how did you visualize your performance coming into Game 2? DWYANE WADE: Well, I think for this team, when you play a team seven games like we did against Boston, you're kind of in the routine of what they do. So watching the film to me, I felt that we still had the mentality that we were playing against Boston from the standpoint of when they're in a fast break. When they're in transition, you have to make sure you peel off to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. You kind of keep a body on them in transition and play a little one‑on‑one with Rondo a little bit. This team is totally different. We weren't getting back on the plays as quick. We weren't letting them see our bodies. Even tonight when we didn't, they capitalized with their attacks. It's a totally different mindset, and we just need to switch that mind state a little bit quicker now. So watching the film was great. That's why we said Game 1 is kind of a game to feel out, especially when you're on the road you can do that, and Game 2 come in and make the adjustments. Q. For a player of your stature, were you insulted by the questions yesterday, basically can you still jump? DWYANE WADE: Man, it's fine, whatever. I'm not sensitive. I understand the way the world works. I get it. You know, it's fine. Whatever questions is thrown at me, I'm not sensitive, so I can take it. Maybe I'll get defensive at times, we all do, we're human. But just know that I'm always going to keep coming back until I don't play this game no more. I know my abilities, I know what I'm capable of, and it was good. It gave me an opportunity to go back and look and see what I can get better at and pick my spots more. Tonight I was more aware of the opportunities I had in Game 1 and I was able to attack it. I don't really think about it too much, man. When I answer questions, I move on from it. Q. You and LeBron seemed to have a nice mix of who was initiating the offense down the stretch, which led to some good offensive execution. How did you guys arrive at that balance? DWYANE WADE: Well, just understanding‑‑ kind of like OKC does a lot down the stretches with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Myself and LeBron, Chris was in the mix, as well, did a good job of us touching the ball or being in position to touch the ball, but just playing off each other and being aggressive at the same time, which I felt that I didn't do in Game 1. I felt I was too passive. I thought the change was me trying to be a little more aggressive when I had my chances down the stretch, and he's continued to be aggressive like he has, so he made some big plays for us as well as I did. Q. How do you make sure that you play the way you played in Game 2 instead of Game 1 when you get to Game 3? DWYANE WADE: Well, just try to understand what works for us. Like I say, each game is different. But like I said after Game 1, for the rest of the series I'll continue to be aggressive, and whatever that means, I'll continue to attack a team to make sure I get my opportunities and look for my opportunities a lot more. Like I said, I felt in Game 1, coming out of the Boston series I still was in that mind frame that we were trapping me, blitzing me so much that I was a little hesitant. I got that out of the way and I'll be more aggressive. Q. You guys have had great starts two games in a row actually or you could say they've had poor starts. Is that more what you're doing? Scott Brooks said they were just missing shots tonight. DWYANE WADE: Yeah, like I said, our job is to try and keep them in front and make them contest the shots. Some they are going to make. Tonight they missed them. We just have to capitalize out of their misses and go down to the other end and score. We're not going to come in here and say we were the reason why they were missing shots. They're a good jump shooting team. Like I said, we've just got to contest, try to keep a body in front. A jump shot more so than anything is 50/50, and it's a tough 50/50 shot. We just capitalized when they missed. They made some as well. They went on a stretch where they made a lot. We struck to our game, stuck to our principles and was able to pull it out. Q. You guys had to go here to get 1. You got 1. You also talked about coming back to respond to Game 1, you could change the complexion of the series. How does that change the complexion now of the series in your favor? DWYANE WADE: Yeah, like I said, our goal was to come here and get one. This time of year, as we continue to say, both teams are good enough to win on each other's home floor. We felt that we had opportunities in Game 1 to win. They played better than us, but we let that opportunity slip away tonight. We seized the moment. And Game 3 is going to be another one of these games, so we've got to figure out a way at home to protect home floor, especially in Game 3, and win it. If you go up there and lose Game 3, you've given them, in a sense, home court right back. We just want to continue to play well at home like we've done all season long. Q. That was actually what I was going to ask, but can you talk about Westbrook and how you guys were matched up early, how you felt that went, because he didn't have a very good first half. DWYANE WADE: I thought we tried to‑‑ first of all, we just tried to get him different looks, so myself guarded him, Mario guarded him a lot, LeBron guarded him, Norris Cole guard. Westbrook is a phenomenal player, unbelievable talent. He's so quick and so athletic. The best thing for us to do as much as possible is to try to keep him out of the paint so much where he's a great finisher, and like I said, just make him see our bodies a little bit. When I'm on him, I try to use my length and make him take a tough shot. Like I said, he's going to make some but we'll live with that instead of him getting in the paint all the time and putting so much pressure on our defense. Q. You talked about some of the adjustments you made. Offensively playing Norris tonight a little bit, seemed like you didn't have to play as much point guard as you did the other night. Was that helpful to you in terms of moving without the ball? DWYANE WADE: It was helpful because it allowed me to be off the ball and kind get places where the defense can't ‑‑ all five can't see me. I was able to make some different moves off the ball, some different cuts. I felt comfortable off it. I liked it. I liked Norris. He wanted to play so bad, he's a rookie, wanted to get his first Finals experience, and he did well in the minutes that he played. I'm sure when we had that lineup, we had a small lineup with Norris and Mario in at the same time, but two ball handlers, it allows me to have a chance to get off of it and make other moves and make other decisions, so I liked it. Q. The addition of Shane on this year's team, how does that make you a better team in The Finals? And I guess if you can address maybe defensively what it means, particularly to you and LeBron, to be able to have somebody that you can put heavy minutes on Harden and Durant and even Westbrook on occasion. DWYANE WADE: I mean, you just hit it on the head. LeBron gets in foul trouble early or gets a quick foul early or two fouls, we have the luxury of having Shane to be able to guard him. Last year he got in foul trouble and I had to go guard him right away. Shane is a guy who guards multiple positions for us. We like to say LeBron guards one through five. Shane does in a sense, too. He's a great defender, he's a great team defender, and he's been big for us all year, and this time of year is what he lives for, what we love him for, to come in‑‑ he had a big day today offensively, but some nights when he don't have it going offensively he spreads the floor anyway, and also defensively we know he's going to give us his all. Q. A lot was made of the home court advantage that they have here. Are you guys more likely to‑‑ at the end of a run you called a quick time‑out. Is that more so at this venue or normal? DWYANE WADE: No, it was normal. Coach called those timeouts to try to stop a run. This crowd was amazing. I was at the free‑throw line one time, probably the loudest I've heard any stadium. You feel it. You feel the energy. It was great. For us we try to do our best, as players you love to play on the road. When you hear that noise you try to quiet it as quick as possible. You don't want to keep going because you know the home team can fuel off of it. Coach called the timeouts he felt was needed and I thought he did a great job of trying to stop the run as much as possible when they got on it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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