POSTGAME REACTION: Miami Heat at Golden State Warriors, 12/29/23.

POSTGAME REACTION: Miami Heat at Golden State Warriors, 12/29/23.

SPO this morning you talked about a physicality that you wanted and uh a disposition of competitiveness I assume a good portion of the game that’s exactly what you saw particularly on the defensive end yeah there’s things that you have to try to focus on that you one

That’s your identity and two that uh you can control um because there are so many things that are just so unique about playing this team you know with all the movement and Curry and and Thompson you know still just flying off of screens you just typically don’t play that kind

Of style against that kind of style night in night out um so you have to focus on um you know the things that you can do really well and those are areas that we pride ourselves on the loose balls the rebounding um just the overall physicality uh and disposition uh to the

Game and we’re also understand that we’re going to be on the road for a while you know playing um you know the gauntlet on the west coast so you want to set the tone you know right from the get-go and um you know for the most part I I thought our guys brought

That kind of effort energy the toughness and and physicality and um and then some of those other you know things that uh you know we had some some better concentration but uh this a tough team to guard just your view of what you liked from Nico and and Jamal’s minutes

Yeah you know the the big thing you know we we’ve had a lot of moving parts and this has provided our team to have a lot of different guys step up and that’s the way we’ve looked at it uh you want guys to U feel involved feel like they can

Contribute to winning feel like they can impact winning learn how to how they can impact winning uh and you know I’ve said this now for a few weeks as you’re trying to figure things out a a great talent to learn in this league as a team

Is just learn how to win and then you figure out all the minutia and you figure out the rest of the stuff you figure out the continuity uh but um the the three young guys in particular RJ uh Kane and Nico it’s not easy you know they go often times weeks without

Playing uh but they have to stay ready as UD always says to be ready uh and then they also have to improve um so they can’t just become be the same players they are because they’re they’re trying to prove themselves and and and really establish themselves uh in this

League but without those three guys and their contributions tonight we’re not winning this game and they all gave us a impactful moments throughout the course of the game and uh Kane has been progressively um getting better you know he’s he’s really uh embraced a role you

Know as a Defender and U filling the gaps offensively we never ever run a play for him but he finds a way uh you know to um either space the floor or cut or offensive rebound you know he just fills in a lot of those those gaps those

Energy gaps um and then Nico you know also has been getting a lot better behind the scenes and and we live in a microwave Society right now and and particularly in Pro Sports uh he’s 20 years old his head coach has seen progress if he’s not playing that doesn’t mean

That he is not making progress or that we giving up on him we developing him and some of these moments uh in the G League I think are really important sometimes it’s important uh when you lose and then you get angry about it and you figure out how you can impact

Winning you know the next time and so he’s had great moments in the g- league and he’s also had tough moments and I think all of that is part of Player Development uh but he’s been preparing and and all these experiences have been really good for him and then when we

Need him you know in that second quarter and then also in the fourth quarter he was prepared and gave us really good minutes hi Eric were you were you able to sense the Warriors lack of intensity after that first quarter and was the message to the team during the break to

Kind try to take advantage of that no I did not sense that no uh when you’re sitting in the seat I’m sitting in or I guess standing on the sideline that I’m standing on you’re always on edge that they could go on an avalan match really quickly me we

Throw on any one of their games they’re as explosive as as any team you know in this league offensively particularly what they’ve done in the last you know two weeks um no that was that was not our message it was it was more about what we were trying to do

Okay Eric I those three guys you mentioned I know you went to their game in Orlando at the Showcase I think you and Tyler went where they were playing for we brought a okay full bus of people to that game it was horrible I was going to say things

Didn’t things didn’t really go well for them uh on on the court that game what what changed for them between then and now for them to produce like this no nothing changed like I said all of that’s important and this this is the part that nobody really wants to hear

Player Development is not just getting shots after practice with a Player Development coach it is learning how to impact winning learning how to embrace a role uh dealing with losing and then almost the shame we saw them the next day and they like walked into to our team meeting and they felt so

Ashamed uh because we played poorly uh and they wanted to play better well I think that’s part of Player Development you get angry you start to figure out like collectively how you can find some solutions uh to get over the top and play better uh and to win uh and I think

You know when there’s a score um all of it is good you know um you celebrate the times that you play well um and then you figure out when you’re not playing well how what we need to do to uh you know do better but um yeah

That was a that was a tough night but we’ve had some good nights you know as a staff we’ve done a ton of watch parties um while we’re on the road and they’re playing and we’ve seen some really good basketball most of it has been when we’ve been

Watching on the TV and a few pizzas and beers but uh that one we happen to see live it all worked out but I thought that was a really important day you know especially how they approached it you know the next few days to to make sure

That they that that wouldn’t you know happen again but it will you know it’s competition you can’t always control that same thing with Orlando Robinson he’s he was down there tonight contributed to a win at u a double double 20 and 10 um but he goes in with

A mind ET every time we send him on assignment he he wants to have an undefeated record and I think that’s great for Player Development coach what should not be lost other than the shiny object of Tyler scoring in the role that he’s been on since he’s gotten back from from

Injury it’s still the um decision making and he’s going to have the ball in his hands he has a a gift for scoring he has a knack for it he has a um just a feel for angles and how to put the ball in the basket he has great touch he can do

It from all three levels but then now it’s the decision making because he’s being schemed against and sometimes uh you know you get off the ball early sometimes you’re making plays against traps sometimes it’s a different coverages sometimes a Zone we saw basically everything uh tonight and he

You know he’s reading the game sometimes letting the game come to him sometimes being assertive and I think all of those things you just learn um over the course of time and with experience um you know and and and really feeling the responsibility of when the ball is

In your hands it’s a team responsibility that that that you have uh and he’s just been getting a lot better with that than all right thank you Tyler what’s most gratifying about a win like this when you have so many Frontline guys that are out and you have to get guys involved

Who may not usually have those opportunities yeah uh I mean it’s just a testament to our you know our gratitude uh the guys you know next man up mentality just coming in here and um being able to you know fulfill guys that are out be able to fulfill that those

Those spots um you know Kane Nico RJ uh just being able to step up and and help us to this this roadwi on the first game of a a long trip how do you view this next layer of responsibility you have of course you get anywhere you want on the

Floor or and get any shot you want but making sure that it’s a part of the team Dynamic getting other guys involved the stuff you got to do on defense now it’s you’re carrying the whole the whole basket now uh just trying to be trying

To be a leader and uh you know lead this team it’s all about stacking W’s um and getting wins you know that’s all that we that we play for here and um just trying to do you know my best job at that is just being able to impact winning on

Both sides and you know make my teammates better I know you guys are serious about wanting to win every time you touch the floor but how nice is it to do it to start the road trip uh yes it’s a uh could be a stepping stone for

Us uh to be able to win you know on the road in Golden state is never easy um especially the first game of uh you know a long West Coast trip we want to wanted to win tonight and be able to you know stack wins after tonight so fly to Utah

Tomorrow and you know we’ll try to get another one there before we head to La what you like most about the way you guys defending an offense that usually is putting up 117 120 100 whatever plus uh I think thought we did a good job of forcing them into the inside the

Three-point line and making them shoot twos you know a lot of tough twos um and that’s just not an easy you know way to beat us is by shooting twos you got to got to be able to outscore us and and shoot threes so um you know that’s when

Their offense is at its best when they’re flying around making making threes um for claying uh and claying uh step so um I thought we did a good job with that thank sure you have it’s been a while you both injuries now you’re back 100% at least 100% out there is it

Good to be following you back and playing at the level you know you’re capable of playing uh yes a blessing to be out here and play the you know the sport I love um you know injuries sometimes you can’t control them so just just happy to be out here and play with

My guys and most importantly uh getting wins so just your view of how you impacted things coming in off the bench and just being so involved and doing so many different things on both ends of the floor to help get this win I mean uh

We were Miss some guys so you know guys need to step up a little bit opportunity came I feel like coach believed in me and uh my team is believe me that’s it you know I feel like uh as long as we won I did the part of my job on a night

Where you have so many guys out I know you already know first of all you’re going to get the opportunity but it’s needed from what you and Jamal provided on both ends particularly the scoring yeah I mean uh scoring you know like it was U you know the main guys like uh

Tyler bam and Duncan who you know making triggers for us you know we was just there the right spot at the right moment you know spacing was great and we just hit shots that’s it that’s his that’s what it’s all about we were there to help them and they actually helped us a

Lot yeah but when you’re also in the development process as you are right now to be able to have these moments where you’re like okay I can see it I can feel it where I’m headed it’s got to be nice yeah I mean it’s great you know it’s

Great it’s it’s what it’s all about to be in a court and play and uh felt amazing um I’m really it’s a long process it’s going to be you know I just need to believe the course need to believe the the the coaches and the everybody in know my bad

Uh how you say it everybody on the top like the whole front yeah the front office and everyone and uh that’s it thank you thank you guys

The Miami Heat defeated the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. Hear from head coach Erik Spoelstra, Tyler Herro, and Nikola Jovic on the win!

0:00 – Erik Spoelstra
8:18 – Tyler Herro
11:03 – Nikola Jovic

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