Erik Spoelstra talks to the media after the Miami Heat’s win over the New York Knicks

Erik Spoelstra talks to the media after the Miami Heat’s win over the New York Knicks

Everything whatever you want love games are long like more than anything this was an introduction to our new players uh especially Terry that this is an introduction to Heat Nicks you know this is what these games are it’s going to be back and forth all game long uh teams

Will get a double digit lead the other team will come back like that’s what happens um but you have two teams that are very committed to doing tough things you know particularly on the defensive end and it’s tough to generate you know wide openen looks and anytime there is a

An open look uh you see both benches just going crazy like uh you know overreacting to any kind of Miss CU but uh you know somebody does have to score you know this is not just a cage match um but it’s really competitive and um it

Was good to see us respond to the competition um and find a way to win it uh at the end uh you know that when they came back um you know you you hear the groaning or you hear of uh you know some of the um smattering of of Nick’s fans

You know you can do a couple things you can either you know start to feel sorry for yourself or you just respond in a competitive way it’s a great a great living you know that we have it’s a great time of year um awesome to be a

Part of these type of games that have this kind of spirit you know you have to play well you know have to you have to do things uh connected together to be able to earn wins and we’re able to do that tonight defensive disposition seem I

Mean this is not atypical for you guys obviously but you talked about Terry having an introduction to Heat Nicks this almost seemed like a continuation of the introduction of what playoff defense oh for sure um you know and you know Terry had that introduction early

On in his career and then you know it’s really been the last five years where you know people have forgotten um but he’s always had a competitive disposition about him uh even going back to college you know he’s played U big and big games that’s when he’s uh been

At his best uh but you never really know until you’re in these environments and it’s taken them you know some time to get comfortable here and you know we wanted to show him a little bit of grace through that but we had a a ton of

Moving parts and I think by now he he knows that everybody wants him to be that aggressive and and you hear that hey go be yourself but you know what does that actually mean uh when you have Jimmy and Bam telling him that all right

Okay it’s okay for me to to take over moments uh during the course of the the game and particularly late uh that that just shows you you know what he’s capable of um because he’s done that a lot you know even in Charlotte when when they weren’t playoff ramification type

Games but they still are fourth quarter clutch games it seemed like you couldn’t take aw out of the game there late um he made some shots but how much was his defense F today he’s so inspiring you know right now he just continues to grind he continues to work continues to get

Better and he just all the little things you know for a team to help help you win uh and you need players like that in this league I’ve talked about it so many times everybody celebrates everything on that final line of the box score and you know everything um in college and nil

Just gets a it just gets a little bit confusing you know for players but uh if you can Embrace a role and and compete and and do winning things on both ends of the Court he shows that that’s really valuable um and he hit you

Know a big three you know that that was that that kind of gave us a little bit of distance when they made their run and he hit the three went out three I was like okay you know let’s just compete and enjoy these last three minutes and and figure out how

We’re going to get this wi but defensively yeah he’s he he he he has the ability but it’s really more born out of all the work and and Drilling and film watching and he just he really works at it you know and he he takes it seriously you know that

Side of the floor um we just really appreciate what he’s given us we know Bronson’s good enough that he’s not always going to shoot five of 18 no matter how good the defense is but what did you feel like you guys did right in terms of crowling his drives

And giving up the right shot yeah it is difficult you know because you Corral them and then now they have the three-point Shooters you know every time probably everybody’s saying how did he get open that’s how he got open you know great players uh force you to bring a second

Defender and sometimes a third Defender uh and then you have to scramble and make things up from there um but he’s that good right now you know his footwork uh and his cleverness his aggressive uh playing against your aggressiveness the entire package it just makes it uh extremely you know challenging you just

Have to be absolutely Rock Solid um and disciplined and sometimes he’s going to make shots even when you do that just curious what’s going through your head when Terry’s taken on that final shot kind of coming off that bam screen and kind of well at that point

I’m like hey go do what you’ve been doing go do what we we’ve seen you do you know for several years go do what you’ve did against us for too many years there’s 4 seconds left on the clock the play got blown up uh and that’s what

Great players can do is they create something out of nothing and that stepback is something that’s very comfortable it’s in his package it’s it’s probably one of the most comfortable shots he has and it’s also the one that’s going to his right A lot of people don’t you know feel

Comfortable doing that one arguably I’ve never asked him but that might be arguably his most comfortable one and um you know we just all appreciate his ability to to shot create and make shots in those situations thanks all right just quickly just Kevin for first

Minutes in in a while since late F what did you see out of him yeah yeah yeah first you know it it takes a a real professional like Thomas you know to have an understanding of that this is what depth is all about uh you know and obviously we’ve used all of

Our depth but the depth you know becomes a little bit more complex when you have more guys available um and he he had really given us such tremendous minutes uh the last six weeks while Kevin was out uh Kevin gives us something different you know it spaces the floor

In a different way you get some overreactions uh that lead to open shots either for him or for somebody else that you can’t necessarily script or make a play call for uh and he just has that you know such a great veteran experience you know for these kind of games these

Kind of matchups and then uh hopefully you know what’s ahead for us in in the playoffs