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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PACERS v HEATJune 1, 2013Erik SpoelstraINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: Game Six Q.  (No microphone). COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: We'll try to get 'em in areas where they can be aggressive. No question. But this is all hands on deck tonight. Whatever it takes. We're expecting anybody that plays tonight just to have an impact to help us win. That's coming out of the box and having a game that surprises somebody, that's what our group has prided themselves on. It can be anybody. Q. What variety of ways do you have to compensate for Andersen being out? Do you stick to one guy or do you look at different combinations? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: A little bit of everything. Everything is on the table tonight. I'll tell you that. We won't hesitate to make any decision based on the flow of the game. But Joel Anthony will get some of those minutes, initially, and he's more than capable. We won a championship with him in that role last year. He's been a starter for us. So this is not his first rodeo in this regard. He knows how he can impact the game and help us. But everybody will be on the table tonight. Q. Erik, you talked about how your veteran guys are very mature on the bench when they have an opportunity to play. Specifically with Joel, considering he was a starter on this team. What kind of conversations did you have over the course of the year‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, you know, that's a great question, because everybody is focused on everybody else, and he's the one who directly had his minutes taken. The conversation has been about so many other people. It's been a challenge for those guys to sacrifice, and we all know their stories. They're all capable and would likely play much bigger roles on other teams. But it's tough when you're a guy like Joel, and we're an excellent team with him‑‑ won a championship with him in that role‑‑ and then mid‑season we added somebody. But he's the consummate professional. Joel is awesome. He's kept himself ready. He knows and we know that when his number is called, there's not going to be a dilemma. He's just going to come in with a great purity to help us, to help us win. He's handled it exceptionally well while still wanting to play. I think that's a sign of a real competitor. Q. You've endorsed these three‑on‑three games that they've been playing pretty much all year‑round. Coaches might be concerned somebody might tweak something, not being able to play. You've been certainly behind this all year. COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yes, absolutely. This is a different group that we have. We don't want to put our veteran players on the shelf and say, okay, just because of your résumé, you guys will be ready. They have to stay ready. So they do their conditioning. They play when we're at home and we have our own facilities, they play full court three‑on‑three. So they get an incredible amount of real conditioning. You guys have seen how competitive those battles are. But those guys take this very seriously. They know that while accepting that role and that sacrifice was not easy, they know they also have a responsibility to stay ready for something unpredictable like this. And now the next man up we expect to hit the ground running without any kind of dip. And those guys have found a way to stay in shape, to stay sharp, and stay mentally engaged in this. Q. Erik, what did you guys do to limit their offensive rebounding in the last game? They only had six offensive rebounds. COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Just getting to them early. A little bit more pressure. Getting them out a few more steps. It's a challenge with them; they're so big, and if you don't get to them early with your speed and quickness, that size will get to you. And it's a very fine line. Even with our defense the way we pressure, sometimes that can leave you exposed in the paint. So we have to do it with a great energy and commitment, otherwise their catches will be deep or even offensive rebound opportunities. Q. Erik, same lineup tonight? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yes. Q. And same inactives tonight? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No. Juwan will be active. James Jones will not. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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