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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT v PACERSMay 23, 2014Frank VogelMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q. If Paul doesn't go, assume Rasual will be starting for him? COACH FRANK VOGEL: Probably not the right assumption, but he's a veteran, good three‑point shooting, solid defense, knows how to play the game in big moments. So we have some guys, Evan Turner's also played in big moments, had some success playing against the Miami Heat a couple of years ago in the playoffs. We have a lot of options. Q. What would be the right option as far as who would replace Paul? COACH FRANK VOGEL: I don't know yet. There is no assumption because I honestly don't know. Q. What is Paul's status right now? COACH FRANK VOGEL: We're hopeful that he'll be able to play, but he has not cleared all the protocols to be cleared to play. He's symptom‑free, but obviously you've got to go through all the testing and all that stuff. He has not been cleared yet. Q. So probably a game day type thing again? COACH FRANK VOGEL: Yes. Q. Like it was with George? COACH FRANK VOGEL: Yes. Q. You guys have held on the road 38 percent shooting defense and won five straight. What's been the key to that? COACH FRANK VOGEL: I'm not really sure. We played at a high level in the Washington series, and those last two against Atlanta when we were down in the series, we played with great desperation. Our guys take pride in their defense. That's probably why you see those numbers. Q. Do you know what happened in Game 2 where you fell apart in the last five minutes? How crucial is it that the series is split now? COACH FRANK VOGEL: We're not even thinking about that. We're thinking about winning games. Our only focus is we know we're going to have to win at least one game down there. Our mindset is just go down and play Game 3. Q. How has your team's demeanor changed from last year to this year? It seems like last year they were younger and new to this stage. Now they seem more confident and more mature. COACH FRANK VOGEL: No question, but that doesn't equate to anything other than we know we've been here before. Obviously, last year felt that way. It felt like we hadn't been there before. The first time on this level, on this stage. Certainly, our guys have a year under their belt there. Q. Did you address that at all? Last year they talked a lot in the media, and this year they just seem very, very calm. Did that come up at all about any type of conversation? COACH FRANK VOGEL: Talked in the media during the series last week? Q. Yeah. COACH FRANK VOGEL: Well, I think too much has been made about us being a talking team. I think we have high aspirations, like everybody does, and I don't think we put too much on last year. Q. How has the days off helped with the Paul situation? COACH FRANK VOGEL: Obviously, he's not cleared to play yet. So I don't know that the break has benefited us. Q. What did you see from Rasual this summer that impressed you that made you decide to bring him in? COACH FRANK VOGEL: He just‑‑ he looked like he still had young legs. He was playing well in the league the year before. I know what he's capable of in terms of being a spot‑up shooter, but in the summer league and training camp, he showed he's more than a spot‑up shooter. He's really a creative scorer too. And pretty solid on the defensive end, has a good, veteran savvy to him. All the things that he's done for us this year, and I'm confident that, if we need him for extended minutes, we'll be okay. Q. Do you think the protocol is something where Paul can be cleared in the next 36 hours? He's got to show a physical feat or something like that? COACH FRANK VOGEL: Honestly, I don't even get into all the details. There's a series of tests he has to pass, and he's in the process of still passing them. Q. Frank, last year the stress maybe of what George went through with his concussion and going through the tests and so on and so forth, when he did come back, he wasn't sharp. Do you have a similar concern for Paul when he comes back? COACH FRANK VOGEL: I do. You know, I do because there's a lot of endurance running and bike work and stuff like that. I know George talked about how it sort of impacted his legs a little bit. His legs felt heavy after going through that stuff. So it's certainly a concern. Q. How much would this team miss Paul on the defensive end if he were to miss tomorrow night's game? COACH FRANK VOGEL: We'd miss him a ton. Certainly, he's one of the best defenders in the game. Anybody losing their best player, it's going to hurt them. But we've got guys who can step up, and we'll just have to adjust. Q. Any issue with flying? COACH FRANK VOGEL: Not that I'm aware of, no. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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