NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT VS. CELTICS

May 21, 2023

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat

Game 3: Pregame

Q. It's one thing when a team switches their lineup going into a game. When Boston switched and went small at start of the second half did, that create with you or your staff with Bam having to guard J.T. and Kevin moving over? What's that like during a game when a team makes that dramatic of a change?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: You just have to be ready for anything and everything in the playoffs. There are a lot of unpredictable things that can happen, and you know, they have a couple different lineups that they go to, so it doesn't necessarily matter whether they start it or get to it. You have to be able to manage through a lot of different things, and you hope that they have to manage through some things with us, as well.

Q. I know it's all about scheme, but the zone you guys play, how much of it is modified maybe based on the opponent or the strengths of the opponent you're playing?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I mean, everything has to be based on that, and it really isn't about schematics. It's more of a mindset about doing tough things. It really doesn't matter. I know it sounds like semantics. It's just a different language.

If you're dealing with somebody like Tatum or Brown, they are going to put pressure on you, on your defense. There's no one thing that's going to get it done. You have to do a bunch of tough things, and the quicker you can wrap your mind around that, you know, you've got a better chance of staying stable even as they are making some shots. You just have to try to make it as tough as possible.

Q. Similar to that, is it on your players to kind of say, like, all right, we are going to go to this defensive look if we see this or are you calling things out from the sideline with the different looks you're giving them?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I don't know what you're getting at right now but my answer is the same, what I just answered right there. We are all, like, communicating, and they force you to communicate quite a bit. That's the kind of pressure they can put on your defense.