POSTGAME REACTION: Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers, 3/20/24

POSTGAME REACTION: Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers, 3/20/24

I’ll start with two words Terry Rosier I’ll let you take over from that 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 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 his 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 Delan 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 and 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 3 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 everybody feels this way at this time of the year and uh you just have to live in the training room and as 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 he 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 winning 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 touched on this but how important was ni’s 10 three-point attempts I think they were career high

But just the guys that are out have that him 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 you mentioned the kind the possessions where it breaks down that’s where it helps have a guy like Terry obviously the playoffs look a lot like

That a lot of the time what kind of asset be are you guys going for 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 where 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 know about all the little details that lead to winning and um you know his head coach is is seeing incremental improvements I’m led

To the decision uh to finally take a break after you’ve pushed so hard for so long uh S I had had a conversation with Coach uh we got guys back so he told me it was uh it was time to take one did you aggravated or was it a matter of

Just the more maintenance than uh than anything but like I said man it’ll be all right not many nights you get to Captain from the bench and uh and on top of it being a nice grind out Victory what was your Vantage Point your involvement and then uh the the joy you

Get to to have after a win like this I don’t like talking on the sideline being being that Captain yet that’s not I like being out there trying to help my guys wi but you know definitely a great win for the team we definitely needed it you

Know in this road trip 3 in one is a great momentum ship for us what’s it like riding the Terry Rosier Thrill Ride whoa uh Terry made big plays today uh him and Jimmy definitely put the ball in the basket but you know that that shot

At the end of the game I told him he was trying to be like me anybody who makes threes now trying to be like you Jimmy even though it was a night where you’re carrying the line share of the offensive load you still had moments when the defense was Forefront and then

Also other guys contributing on the offens particularly uh Terry down the street uh Terry put on the show man when half the arena is there to see you like you you got to come out and do your thing um but I’m just uh proud of our

Guys we coming out and fighting a couple of uh men down and compete and get one on the road which uh we definitely needed um it was a it it was a good dub overall really was how did the foot feel when you got back at it look like it was

Fine yeah yeah I was uh I’m okay you know now it’s time to to rest ice it and do all of that good stff stuff and and be ready to go come what Friday I think Friday but uh we’ll be good hopefully we get some bodies back too how ni I’m

Sorry go ahead how happy were you to see Terry have those moments considering how much you guys have been on them to to take more shots and be more aggressive look for um I love it I love it when my guys are seeing the ball going into the

Basket um when they’re scoring when they’re smiling when they’re celebrating like basketball is definitely supposed to be fun um and whenever you’re playing that type of basketball and it’s it’s towards winning that makes it even more fun so I’m happy for him I want him to continue doing that and you know doing

It somewhat at the crib in front of his people is Big you know there’s a lot of cheer for him as it should be so I’m happy for my guy what was it like seeing a guy like Patty step into the starting lineup and help you guys get off to a

Pretty good start yeah I mean he’s he’s won at the highest level um he’s been a winner for a long time here now and I’m glad that we get to bring his championship experience like um everything that he’s learned and you know he’s teaching everybody a lot still

Of how we can be better on both sides of the ball you know he’s constantly communicating but he belongs here man he does plays basketball the right way all he cares about is winning um so I think he’ll he’ll be around for a little bit and uh he’s definitely going help us in

This stretch J you have a four game home stand coming up it starts against the Pelicans remember the last time you were in New Orleans I remember Jimmy Butler saying we’ll beat them the next time too um ready to stand by those words or is

That the Heat of the Moment of course no like I don’t go into any game saying we’re going to lose but we’re going to get a dub it’s on a home floor anyways um we’re going to be fine you put behind what happened with with the the suspensions the ejections and everything

And just get down to the business at hand or is there a memory of the way it ended I mean there is a freaking memory I got fined a lot of money that’s my memory I don’t give a damn about tensions flaring and all of that man I

Got kids I got diapers baby food you know talking about Jacks like that’s crazy like it was 20 years ago man yes sir yeah so that’s all I’m worried about trying to get my bread back thank you Terry uh several layers of Awesomeness here obviously being from the area being

Able to close out the game with big shots and then getting the win and making this trip three and one that’s a that’s a nice night yeah I mean that’s the most important thing just getting the win uh like I said earlier my my my teammates and my coaches just make sure

They do a you know great job of remind me daily you know night and night out who I am and just be and be that and you know we going to live with that and you know tonight you know I’m happy that you know we got to win so it’s the most

Important thing take us through that four-point play was it a go for three because of the margin was it just get up the best shot take us through that sequence of what happened and and were you trying to draw the foul also no no no I wasn’t trying to draw the foul but

Uh I know they went up they went up four and the momentum kind of changed and uh to be honest when we was going when we was driving the ball up the court my it was already set in my mind that I was going to shoot a three so I was just

Trying to shake a corl and you know just try to you know give him a little step back or something like that cuz he do a great job of guarding so and then you know he F me so that was even that was even better

The Miami Heat defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday by a score of 107-104. Hear from Erik Spoelstra, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Terry Rozier on the win!