Practice Interview: Erik Spoelstra

Practice Interview: Erik Spoelstra

The last last three opponents have played similar style defense against you guys sending help in the pain how do you feel like you guys have handled that throughout these three games what you kind of you watch those games yeah I mean it’s a little bit more complex than

That it depends on which part of the game if you ask me that I I think the first halfes um really of all three games we handle it pretty well uh and then as the game wore on and um particularly those two on the road um we got a little bit more um

Bottled up um and a little bit less movement and that and the movement would be a little bit less player movement and ball movement uh and doing things uh you know with a purpose but that also happens as as games get you know down the stretch

Uh we just have to get better at it that’s what we worked on today and uh we’ll face a quality defense again tomorrow you guys fac Denver cple ago just um what did you learn about the team about the Nuggets when you guys played them last and how they differ

Maybe from the team you saw last year in the finals yeah I mean their their uh rotation is a little bit different with the new guys that they have uh coming off the bench uh but um you know they what they know how to do is uh in those

Key moments of games how to take control uh and a lot of times that ends up being end a quarter and a half or these swing moments uh in in the second half the real pivotal skirmishes as Pat likes to call them they tend to know how to win

Know um and that’s usually what Championship caliber teams teams that are coming off of a title run uh they may not play that that most consistent basketball all the way through the regular season but in those pockets they know how to to uh win those moments and

Then ultimately that helps them just win win games uh even if they’re not playing at at that super highest level that they can get to uh you know which they can you know they can they can get to that level and they did that to us uh in

Denver and we obviously saw that you know last night um and even right before we played them they had some similar games like that uh where they were down and then just you know turn the games around and they were fully in control in the second

Half and then with with haime I mean coming up on the last month of his first NBA season um how do you think he’s held up kind of mentally physically you know through his first year yeah I think right now he’s uh he’s re-energized I I

Think the break was good for him he was able to get a little bit of rest and he’s been playing really good basketball of late you know now that we’re a little bit more healthy he might not get all the touches and everything that he was getting during the summer when you know

He’s scoring a little bit more but I I think he’s playing um you know his arguably his best basketball the season right now in terms of impacting winning fitting into a role stepping into a bigger role depending on the lineup uh and I think he’s got his legs under him

Again and uh you’re seeing the results from that what do you like about the balance Terry’s kind of found the last few weeks between playmaking and then also still looking for his own open own shots yeah you know you hear it a lot when we say like we want him to be him

But that’s who he is you know it’s a balance you know he’s he is a playmaker also you know in Charlotte you know he was averaging almost eight nine assists a game uh and scoring um so he has to do both you know for us uh I think he’s

Getting a little bit more comfortable in our system and with the guys uh you know he really wants to help bam uh you know Bam’s also telling him like it’ll help me if you’re more aggressive you know because then they have to play him honest you know these things take time

But we fast-tracked it uh his intentions are great uh he communicates and he works at it every single day with the guys and I think that’s why you’re seeing it happen faster than it typically might

Mar. 12, 2024 – Erik Spoelstra addresses the media following practice.

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