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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PACERS v HEATMay 29, 2013Erik SpoelstraMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q. When you talked about going into the playoffs, at even at times towards the end of the regular season, talked about how this journey is going to be different, is that what you meant? Different challenges were going to present itself? It's 2‑2 like it was a year ago with them. It's a much different set of problems, I guess. Is this kind of what you were getting at? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Right. And we're not comparing it to last year in those 2‑2‑‑ every game in the playoffs is different. It has its own storylines. Each one of these games has been very different. And what it comes down to is competition, embracing the competition. Finding a way. Some games we're going to be able to get to our identity and impose our will. Our identity. That's the point. Sometimes we're not going to be able to. But embracing the competition and regardless of what happens during the course of the game, we have a fourth quarter lead with plays to be made to hold on to that lead and finish the game. And we didn't. They did. They made more plays down the end. They won that competition. This is highly competitive. A lot of ties, lead changes. You have to overcome and find a way. That's what it's about for Game 5. Q. We know that ankles next day‑‑ can you give us an update on Chris and even LeBron to a certain extent? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't have an update on those guys right now. They'll be in for treatment. But we're not going to make any excuses. Q. In terms of the rebounding deficit, how much is their size? And how much your effort? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: We just have to do better. We have to be more committed without any excuses and just get it done. That's what it's going to take to beat this team. And we're capable of it. So that will be our focus in Game 5. Q. What made them so effective defending the post last night? Is it something they did? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Again, our attention to detail offensively, all across the board, was not where it was in Game 3. We all know they're a very good defensive team with size at the rim. And if you're not absolutely diligent about getting to your spacing and doing it with a pace, that size now can be a factor. We just did not do a great job with the details of giving those post‑up space, and what we were left with is jumpshots, long two‑point jumpshots. If we're getting and settling for those, it's usually a pace and space issue for us. And it obviously was last night. Q. Correct me if I'm wrong. It seems like you're going more‑‑ when Mario comes out, I think you're doing more Ray Allen and another point guard‑‑ using LeBron as a point guard, versus Norris Cole, like in the earlier series.  Is there something you're seeing in personnel, in match‑ups that's dictating that? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Just to get Ray in there. It's not necessarily anything else other than that. Rather than having him sit. So I've been playing Dwyane a little bit longer. He had been sitting most of the first quarter. Q. Also maybe you want to get his shot untracked? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Get him into his normal routine of not sitting the whole first quarter like he had been the last couple of games. Q. I know you're not comparing this series to anything else, but the fact you guys were in delicate spots last year a bunch of times, obviously, does that matter much now that you have experience to draw upon? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Experience can be a very good teacher. But it doesn't guarantee anything. We're in the trench right now. We're in it. So we have to find ways. And what we have to do is respond. We did not play well enough. Usually in this league, usually you deserve what you get. They played with a greater sense of urgency. They made more plays going down the stretch, and for that matter, during the course of the game. Not only offensive rebounds, but loose balls, effort plays, impact plays, imposing plays. They made more of those. And going down the stretch sometimes there's a karma to the game. And so they beat us going down the stretch. There's no excuses. There's nothing else to it other than that. Q. As you watched the game live and on tape, is there anything your bigs can do better to defend Hibbert? Or is it just a function of this is a good young player who has a size advantage? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, we have a good young player we're going against. They have some too. Who is going to win? It's competition at its best. We have to do more. There's no excuses. If we want to win and beat this team, we'll take the next step. Q. So you said they played with a greater sense of urgency. They made more effort plays. Are you disappointed at all in the effort? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: They made more plays. That's what it came down to. And it's competition. And each one of those plays is a chance to win that competition. Q. LeBron was more effective in Game 3 in the post. Why didn't we see more of that in Game 4? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: You saw about the same amount. You just didn't see the efficiency. Q. Is that because of what they did defensively, the doubling? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No, just what I talked about. The pace and the spacing, the details of what we did. It was roughly about the same post‑ups. The attention to the detail wasn't the same. What we were left with was long twos. If we don't get to the detail of what we do, they'll pack the paint and have a big at the rim and you'll have to settle for a contested long jumpshot. And that's what we were left with for a large part of our possessions. It takes a great focus to our pace and space to be able to get to what we want. When we do it with a great motor and attention to detail, even against a very good defensive team, we can get to our game. But if we don't, we'll be left with those. Q. I know it's not typical for you, but when you talk about things like attention to detail and efficiency and those things, were you tempted‑‑ even though you got back late‑‑ were you tempted to bring guys in today? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No. We'll have time tomorrow. Today guys will be coming in. Everybody will be coming in. But we'll have plenty of time tomorrow. Q. They're obviously very good at defending threes. Do you think your lower three‑point shooting is a function mostly of that, or are you getting good looks that‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Both. It's competition, who can get to who for longer. We're trying to get to our game. They're trying to keep us from our game. They're very good at that. When we do things with a great engine and attention to detail, to our pace and our spacing, we can get to our game. If we don't, they get to their game. That's what competition is all about. This series is up for grabs. That's what competitors live for. Q. Did Mike Miller hurt himself on that shot? Or do you see a possibility of inserting him? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He's always right there. I'm always right there ready to pull that one. He keeps himself ready. He's ready to go if needed. Q. LeBron didn't think that the last foul was a foul. He also questioned some other calls. Do you have any thoughts on any of the calls on LeBron? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No, I don't. We can all agree to disagree. That's what the playoffs are about, overcoming everything. It's not easy to win in the playoffs. At the end of the day we didn't necessarily play well. We didn't necessarily get to our identity. We had massive foul trouble all across the board. And we have a three‑point lead going down the stretch in an opponent's building and plays to be made to finish off that game. We didn't. They made more plays going down the stretch. And typically the team that deserves to win does. Not all the time, but usually. Q. What are the risks of playing a smaller lineup for extended periods against these guys? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: There's competition. There's pros and cons both ways. They have some things that they have to deal with on the other end. We have some things to deal with on our end. But we've proven we can play a lot of different lineups and finish plays with different lineups. And some of the plays that went down the stretch in the fourth quarter had nothing to do with size. Q. Are you disturbed by the foul problems? Like Mario‑‑ obviously LeBron never gets into foul trouble. Are the refs calling them too close? Are guys not moving their feet‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: It's irrelevant. You adjust to however it's being called. At the end of the day it's about winning the competition. Not trying to prove anything else. At the end of the day, regardless of what we felt about the foul trouble‑‑ and guys were in and out of the lineup. So what. We had a three‑point lead. Talk about how we played‑‑ any of that. Those are all teaching points of how we can play better. But it's about winning the competition, however you do it. We had a three‑point lead going down the stretch. They made more plays going down the stretch. Loose balls, offensive rebounds that were there to be made. Q. When he's not at his very best, do you see the weight of the world kind of on Dwyane just piling on right now? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: It's playoff basketball. So there will be so many twists and turns and storylines. He's a Warrior. He's proven himself time and time again. He's going to be there. When there's adversity, that's when he's going to be there the most. He's not making any excuses. We're playing against a very good defensive team that we have to be very committed to getting to our game. It's not necessarily going to be easy. Even Game 3 we had to do it with great motor and great attention to detail. But we were able to get to our game. They got to us more than we got to them in Game 4. Q. When a playoff game is over that you've lost and you're walking off the court, do you think you already know in your head what went wrong, whatever key points? Or is it something you really want to look at the video first before making any‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Both. Obviously when you just have seen the action and all the time‑outs and all the discussions and you can see those plays to be made. Any play during the course of the game is the play that will win the game. But when you have a three‑point lead‑‑ and yes, we had a couple of opportunities offensively, but we had opportunities to close out possessions, and we had double‑digit possessions in the fourth quarter when we got them down to the last five seconds and were not able to finish it with a rebound, for whatever reason. Some of those will be teaching points. Some of those we had plays to make and we didn't. And they made more plays. Coming in this morning, yeah, we find all the other things to fill in. But as a competitor we all know that those are winning plays to be made, and we normally make those. Q. Are your guys in tune with you? When you say, hey, I saw this, would they immediately say absolutely. We have ideas and‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Our guys have been great about owning it. And sometimes in this league it will be about everything else except for the truth, which will set you free. With our guys we get very quickly to the truth. We don't sugarcoat it. Here's the deal. Own it. Let's fix it. Let's move on. It's about trying to win the competition. It's not about blame. It's not about deflection. It's not about anything else. Let's get right to the heart of the matter, and let's go try to win the competition the next time. And we have a great locker room of alpha competitors. So they take this very seriously. We're playing against a worthy opponent that if we don't play well, they beat us. If they don't play well and we impose our identity, we beat them. That's what this is all about. So let's lace them up and let's get ready for Game 5. Q. Kind of in tandem with what David was saying, you usually have a pretty good read on the demeanor after a win or loss. What was the mood like last night in the locker room? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, we're disappointed. Look, our guys aren't clueless. We know there was an opportunity. As competitors, I just mentioned, we have a locker room full of alpha dog competitors. When you have an opportunity on the road to squeeze and you've got a three‑point lead, our guys live for those moments. And when we don't finish a game and finish plays, we're all disappointed. There will be a lot of natural human conditions where you want to do this but you know exactly what it is. Our guys understand as competitors. We didn't finish that game the way we're capable of. Q. Bosh's only basket came 26 feet away from the basket. And he didn't take a shot within ten feet. Is there a possibility you're overbalanced, trying to space with Bosh too much‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: It's a fine line. It is a fine line. Because he has to be aggressive. We have to try to get him some easy ones. It also helps with rhythm. He does create a lot of spacing for us. His versatility, because he can do so many things, you can put him on so many areas of the floor. We also need to be attentive to make sure we're getting him in places he can be aggressive in the paint. Q. Have you ever been called a timeout for being on the floor? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No. Q. Indiana beat you pretty badly on the boards the first couple of times you played them this year. Then you did much better. And now it's back to this. What did you do before to‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: You have to get into the fight. The thing about it, when you have a front line like that and an aggressive team and that's their nature, they don't make it easy. Conversely, we don't make it easy on them in our game. That's what this is about. If we don't get into that battle every single possession, they impose their will. That's their game. And they're very good at it. When we get into that battle and we're winning those battles, the script flips, and now they have to deal with a lot of things that we can impose on them. And so there are many different storylines. Ultimately the two wins and two losses for each team, the team that's won has been able to impose their identity more often than the other team. It's been a very fine line of margin for error both ways. Q. Along these lines that you keep talking about with "competition," does that make the notion of adjustments from game to game somewhat overblown? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Usually it ultimately becomes about the competition. But certainly in a playoff series, yes, you have to make adjustments. We've been together long enough that we don't hesitate. We don't hesitate. Q. Erik, it's been a storyline the rebounding margin. All season long you've maintained that turnovers is the key, creating turnovers. Is that still the case or are you trying to emphasize finishing the possessions? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Both. When you have plays to make. For us it's always been about possessions and how we get possessions or finish possessions. But we have never said we can get pummeled on the glass. That is not a winning formula for us. Q. Is Stephenson the X‑factor kind of like Nate was the last series. You still don't know what to expect from him?  COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He's one of them. They have very good balance with the starting lineup. So it's not any one guy that can change it. His energy certainly had a major impact on the game last night. George Hill. You can make a case for him being a big factor. And when Roy Hibbert plays big and has an impact like that on the offensive glass and in the paint, they've always been very successful. Q. Do you worry about almost having to‑‑ for lack of a much better word‑‑ having to manufacture almost an edge when you come home? Because when you come home there's that tendency to think things are going to self‑correct. COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Our guys have respect for the other team in that locker room. We know nothing is earned easy in this series. We've got to work for it. Being home doesn't guarantee anything. Q. Chris obviously said he would like to rebound more than he has. But he's also pointed out he's not in the basket area on offense a lot. Should that be any explanation as to why his rebounding numbers are not as good as they should? Or does that not hold water with you? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: We just need to do a better job as a group. Sometimes it's a blockout. Sometimes it's a pursuit. Sometimes it's a loose ball that's going to the free‑throw line that one of our perimeter players can pick up. And sometimes it's just making a play in the fourth quarter when you need to win. Q. I know you said you don't have an update on Chris Bosh, but is there any concern? Or the fact he returned to the game last night, does that make you feel better? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I'll just wait and see. I'm not going in with a pre‑determined notion. Q. Did they wear boots last night, either one of them? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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