Postgame Interview: Erik Spoelstra

Postgame Interview: Erik Spoelstra

I’ll start with two words Terry Rosier I’ll let you take over for yeah um I mean he was uh he was the guy that’s tormented us you know a little bit over the years uh tonight and it’s uh you know it’s a process when things happen um at you know midseason you change

Teams and move to a different city and and you try to acclimate you know as quickly as you possibly can he didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes but this is why we wanted him here he’s a um you know a great clutch performer and he’s been that way his entire career um

And we needed another guy that can make plays and create something out of nothing and that’s what he basically did those last two possessions uh he end up scoring nine points and whatever a minute uh but the step back three when he got fouled we we were kind of jammed

Up on that play um and then the step back going to his right similarly as end of the clock those plays are usually reserved for Jimmy um but it was it was uh you know very encouraging for from for all of us just to have another guy that could

Uh you know make a a big play uh in in a pressure moment um and the guys were just really happy for him and and we needed every bit of it now as great as Terry was you know down the stretch uh there was everybody on our roster put

Their fingerprints uh on on this game um would not have got this win uh in a tough building where they play extremely well uh at home uh unless we didn’t have you know a lot of guys Step Up Nico was terrific uh he really worked the last

Few days to be available um and and produced gave us spacing gave us playmaking knocked down threes uh gave us some intangible plays and our bench was very good um you know all the way down Caleb uh his defensive work uh haime was was uh very good um and d and

H in their short minutes uh were really impactful defensively and and Thomas just continues you know to get more comfortable and and more acclimated um to what we do after missing the last two games how encouraging was it to see Jimmy do Jimmy things and he was really

Active on both ends especially as well yeah you know he had really worked as well uh Nico and Jimmy basically last you know three days had been pouring themselves into the training room and uh and doing everything you know to make sure that they could FastTrack this uh

And um that’s where we are right now you know that everybody feels this way at this time of the year and uh you just have to live in the training room and soon as you can be available you know given to the team and um and we’ll manage through all of that

But that’s why we have the depth you know that we have and then your thoughts on starting Patty and what he gave you early at least yeah Patty uh you know he he said he was going to get 10 threes up you know tonight uh and since I’m on

That subject Terry was five for six one of the first things I told him what if you would have shot 10 to 12 you know his head coach wants him uh to be that aggressive his his teammates want to be that aggressive Jimmy and Bam want him

To be that aggressive if he would have gotten 10 12 up this might not have been you know close down the stretch uh but Patty you know is such a Savvy veteran wining player that if you don’t look past like whatever the the shooting numbers may be

You don’t see all the nuances of how he helps uh he’s been a plus uh basically in every game that he’s played in um and he definitely impacts our offense with his spacing and his movement uh you know he’s he’s very similar to to Duncan you know how he’s just constantly on the

Move creates overreactions um and he knows how to screen he knows how to to do things off the ball as well you can touch on this but how important was Nico’s 10 three-point attempts I think they were career high but just the guys that are

Out have that you know and and we played him uh at you know a lot of minutes at at the five he was playing both you know the front front Court positions uh but uh he’s really been working on that uh and his game is not defined as being

Just a three-point spacer I mean you saw it today it was the playmaking the passing putting the ball on the floor screening and rolling into the rim uh but you know when their centers are matched up against him that’s the play that’s the play I mean uh Allen and

Their defense is really good for a reason you know they protect the rim they protect the paint they Jam things up and um if you’re not you know keeping them honest uh and even the ones that Thomas and Orlando took you know make or Miss that’s the right play uh but Nico

Um was not bashful with it and that’s what the way we want all want him to play possession a lot a lot of time kind you guys yeah I mean this is why we we um went after him there you know it’s been a while since he’s he’s been in in

Playoff moments but in fourth quarter moments with with Charlotte you know he was that that kind of player and he was their guy often times um in those moments of Truth and then certainly in Boston he had some very big clutch moments and you know we have a bunch of

Guys that that really Thrive uh in those moments um but we know that we go to Jimmy a lot you know for a lot of good reasons um but you know we wanted you know especially while Tyler’s out right now we want to have another guy

That’s um you know special that that can create something out of nothing and that’s what this league is defined by coach how are you overall pleased with nicholl’s performance and do you see room for improvement uh well he knows and I we we have a long list of

Things but he works at it you know that’s what I’m really encouraged about is that he’s put his head down and and gotten to work um all across the board and you know since he’s been regularly in the rotation his Improvement has been exponential um because the Player

Development is still there I mean you know he’s he’s in our facility around the clock but now it’s a lot more relevant he can connect the dots now to why we’re doing all the drilling in the film sessions and hanging him you about all the little details that lead to winning and

Um you know his head coach is is seeing incremental improvements all right thank you

Mar. 20, 2024 – Erik Spoelstra speaks to the media following Wednesday night’s game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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