POSTGAME REACTION: Miami Heat at Phoenix Suns, 1/5/24/

POSTGAME REACTION: Miami Heat at Phoenix Suns, 1/5/24/

Started to turn into the first half and then it really sort of got away at the start of the third quarter was there anything in particular during those runs or that period you saw change yeah I mean the dangerous part about it is um you know in the first half they were

Really just playing their game getting to their spots getting a lot of easy baskets so it wasn’t just the the open threes it was the the 14 layups and the drives and attacks you know 24 in the paint uh and then in a addition to to the threes uh you know they scored

Almost 60 in in that first half and uh you know that’s a dangerous game to play with that team with you know with the Firepower they have so they were in a great flow great Rhythm offensively in the first half things were you know decent for us I thought we we got some

Some good stuff uh some really good movement um you know guys were were uh you know playing the right way playing to our strengths um but you know in in the second half and in particular at the start of the third when we weren’t knocking down shots now you’re dealing

With a team that had great flow great confidence and um they just were able to to play with ease pretty much offensively in that second half in that third quarter shots obviously didn’t go in did you like the shots you getting look like some yeah I really like those

Shots I mean that that’s why I point to the first half like um you know because you you can’t necessarily control that I I really liked the way we’re playing in all the huddles I was uh just reiterating you know play the right way offensively just trust it

Uh you know if the guys are open and you getting to our aggressive attack paints uh paint touches and we were making the right plays those were a lot of those were wide open threes uh it’s the right play uh and I’m encouraged that we continued to do that even throughout the

Misses uh but on the other side of the floor we were just never able to really control the game defensively and get it in the mud which would have been what was that’s what would have been required you know to get this game it would have

Had to be in the mud uh keep it within you know six eight points uh make it ugly you know make you know repeated defensive stands and then score enough uh and then if you have enough light at the end of the tunnel then we have a

Bunch of closers you know we’ have had a better chance and misses his first five shots doesn’t give up perseveres turns it around and gets us going your thoughts on him staying with it getting back to his game oh bam was uh you know he was great tonight uh in in every

Aspect his competitive Spirit uh you know he was doing so many things for us defensively uh we were trapping a lot there in the second half uh you know he’s making those multiple efforts and he has to guard the rim force and he has to rebound and then offensively basically

Um we were running kind of every action you know through him some kind of Point Center whatever variation to try to loosen up you know things uh for our guys um and then his leadership you know was was really good too his voice was uh was great throughout the course of the

Game and you know that’s something that um you know we can take away from from this game in the moment I know it’s hard uh after a two and three trip you go back five games over over 500 Four game home stand you have a lot of the road

Games out of the way at a nice two days to well maybe a day and a half to breathe sort of your thoughts on where your team stands coming out of this trip yeah there’s some really good things uh from this trip and and even the struggles uh I think are really

Important you know for our team uh our you know I really commend our guys uh for having the right approach about that even the disappointing moments even tonight uh of just finding a way you know to get the lesson out of it uh you know we had some

Major lessons from the the Clippers game and the Utah game uh and in this game uh you know the uh Utah and Clipper game pushed us into a great effort and and complete game for the Laker win and hopefully you know this disappointing game will Propel us into a good home

Stand we understand you know the the four games who we’re playing and it’ll be a very important week for us uh but first things first we need to get home get some rest get guys healthy and see where we are you know Monday morning a

Little bit off subject but I feel like I got to ask about this I don’t know if you heard already but Orlando Robinson had a 41o game tonight 41 and 13 rebounds how nice is it to see him spread his wings when he gets a chance

The last time I I had U heard his stat line at halftime he or whenever that was it was 29 13 so I did not know he had 41 points you know that is great but I think the more important thing is every time Orlando goes down there it feels

Like we win and I think right now in two years his record is roughly 22 and three or four you know that’s what matters to us he impacts winning people say oh it’s G League that’s the whole point impact winning uh when uh you go uh On

Assignment you can uh affect that and he takes it very ser seriously and that’s why you know we really uh like him as a prospect um because he prioritizes that uh and then everything else he’s getting better at he works at he drills uh at nauseum uh but it’s all about getting

The win you you obviously look at that third quarter when things just separated immediately um but it just look like you guys are getting the shots you wanted but in a 140 run things got to go differently H we were and we were missing those shots and then uh you know

They were they were getting to their spots in transition uh and even in the half court too they kept swinging it finding their way uh that mid-range was going for them you know with with so many uh so much Firepower out there with with those two guys uh and Booker and

Beal I also Allen was played exceptional game as well shot the ball incredibly from three um you know we were just trying to get to our spots force them into tough shots um you know but they were getting into our paint they were spraying there hitting shots stepping

Into threes and uh it was just too much for us in that third quarter and we felt like we were just continuing trying to uh to dig back but you know those shots just weren’t falling for us and we just couldn’t make up the ground the shame

Was it seemed like in the first half you guys were finding your way obviously they needed that spurt that you had in the first quarter then bam answers it right there in the second quarter no and it was uh you know first half looked pretty good obviously we let it get away

From us a little bit uh from a uh excuse me momentum standpoint uh going into the half but again that third quarter is just uh where they were able to get separation and we never really found ourselves um you know on the uh in solid footing on the offensive end again get

Uh keep saying it like get got a lot of great shots uh we got to the places that we wanted to to be at we got downhill we got to the rim we got really good open shots and we got stops and transition but uh we just couldn’t convert the way

That we wanted to and that’s ultimately what did it uh two and three trip obviously not optimal but you’re still five over 500 you return home for a four game home stand you have a lot of road games out of the way I know it’s almost

Nice to have two days off for reset so coming out of this reset how does it feel where the TEAM stands um I think natur like you said it would have been better to be over 500 and and got to win tonight go back home and be re-energized

That way but we got to take these next two days um you know get our rest get our legs back uh focus in CU like you said that home stand is going to be huge for us we need to come out it’s never easy after a long road trip to go back

Um you know in that first game we need to make sure that that we bring the energy and and we’re ready to go in front of our home crowd so that’ll be a big start for us against Houston on Monday

The Miami Heat fell to the Phoenix Suns on Friday. Hear from head coach Erik Spoelstra and Kevin Love on the defeat. 🎙

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