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NBA FINALS: SPURS v HEATJune 19, 2013Erik SpoelstraMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q.  Coach, your team is ‑56 with LeBron and Wade together on the floor and +46 with LeBron and no Wade. What do you say about those numbers? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't really give a whole lot to those numbers. We're going as far as they take us, along with the other guys. You can't win this series or the last game with a statistic. You have to compete and win those battles on the court. Q. Even though it seems like you just left the building 15 minutes ago, how tough is the challenge of coming off the high of last night and getting ready for the ultimate challenge tomorrow? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: We've been in Game 7s before, so we just try to stay in the moment. And today we had to take care of just a couple of things, do our media obligation, and then get ready for a deeper prep tomorrow. Q. Erik, talk about the reduced rotation, UD and Norris not playing. Just what went into that and your thought process as‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: It's just what that game called for. Next game could be different, depending on how the game is played, foul situation, that type of thing. We just thought it would be best for that game. Q. What do you tell the team before Game 7? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I'll figure that out tomorrow. Q. What do you tell yourself? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I'll figure that out tomorrow. Q. Erik, I'm not sure if you even had a chance to see the news reports that a lot of fans left and then tried to get back into the arena once LeBron hit his three and then Ray hit his three. What did you think about that scene over the last 20 seconds? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Tim (Donovan) just told me that walking here. I didn't have any idea about it. It's one of those situations. I think every single one of us, somebody asked me last night about the yellow rope. I don't think any of us saw any of that until afterwards. We were fully engaged in the moment. Q. Secondly, Dwyane Wade said a couple of weeks he needed 16 more wins and he'll figure out what to do with his knee. He's one win away. You guys are one win away. Address where he is right you know even after taking another bang. COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He's in a whatever‑it‑takes mode. And that's what this series is about, is the competition. It's not just statistics. It's not all the other storylines. It's about the competition against an equal opponent. And Dwyane thrives in those situations. Because he can impact it in so many different ways. Not just scoring, but the defense, impact plays, so forth. He'll be able to find a way to compete for one more game. Q. With the wear and tear that LeBron has had in the series and the fatigue and everything, but it being a Game 7, how do you guard between wanting him on the floor, but also wanting him to be fresh in the key moments? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Whatever it takes. I think both sides will be taking that and will try to be as judicious as we can early on, get him rest and see what happens. Some of them might be able to take care of in timeouts or quick breaks. But he knows the deal right now. Q. Do you also have to talk with him at all about yes, it's a Game 7, but don't try to do too much in the moment? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: No. I won't have that discussion with him. Q. With all the stuff that happened at the end, I think it got kind of lost, but Dwyane Wade didn't start in the second half. What happened at halftime? And was there any panic that you didn't know when he was going to be able to return back out on the court? What happened at halftime? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: He just hit his knee on that collision with Ginobili I think in the second‑‑ end of the first quarter, and it just bothered him as he started to sit during halftime. So he was getting treatment, getting himself ready. I knew he was going to come back out. I just didn't know at what time. Q. Erik, when you consider everything involved in a Game 7, what is the single most important thing for your team in the next 48 hours? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: Well, right now is just to take care of today. You can't let your mind drift. You can't start to think about any rewards. You have to think about the task. And that takes great discipline. It also takes experience of having to do it before. We've been in these situations. It doesn't guarantee anything, but at least we've learned how to compartmentalize and just focus on this moment today. So we have had a little bit of prep.  We have to handle our obligations. The next part will be getting the rest, getting off their feet. That's the most important thing they can do for the next 14 hours, until we prep tomorrow. Q. Is this something that they know innately at this point because you've been through it or do you have to kind of remind them, go over it? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I think the experience has helped. But we always remind each other of that. The human condition, all of us have to be reminded of that from time to time. Q. Erik, a lot of teams were able to go through a full playoffs and not make any changes. You've done it here. Now this year both of you have had to change the starting lineup. Does it make it more challenging when you're searching with two games to go in the season for a rotation, or you're changing the starting lineup with four games to go in the season? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: At this point it's whatever it takes. When you get to the playoffs and you've been in enough of these battles, you fully start to understand it. Each series is its own animal. It's its own challenge. It's different every series. And things that may work or not work in one series might not in another one. And you don't have time to sit on your hands. Q. Erik, I know you've mentioned that the competition and embracing this moment. What is enjoyable about this for you? How are you enjoying it? COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I think for any of us, we first had to come to that grips of that, of the competition. And this is what any great competitor wants. You want to go against the best. You want to be tested. You want to be pushed. And the Spurs are doing that to us. So you have to embrace it. Every part of it. And it's the not knowing that's the most thrilling part of it. Q. Coach, after Ray Allen's three went through the net, your hands remained on your hips for at least a second or two. I want to know how that's possible. How do you not‑‑ COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA: I'll have to go back to the film and see it. I don't know. I don't know. I probably shouldn't ever be surprised with Ray. We've seen it enough where he's been on the other side and created enough pain for us over the years. He's a great clutch shooter. He's proven it time and time again. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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