NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

June 7, 2023

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat

Game 3: Postgame

Denver Nuggets 109, Miami Heat 94

Q. When Jokic and Jamal are play-making off each other like that, how unique is it and how challenging is it just to key in on one of them when both of them have it going like that?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, it's a great duo. Their games really complement each other. You have one guy that really can score in a lot of different ways. Another guy who is setting great screens or handoffs, and if the ball gets back to him, he can get a bunch of people involved.

Certainly at the beginning of game, that kind of set the tone. But from there, we lost a lot of physical 50/50 or ball in the air, ball on the floor battles throughout the course of the game, at key moments. When the moments could have been swing moments, they were coming up with those plays.

You have to expect that -- not losing the battles. You have to expect there to be elite talent in the Finals. Both those guys are elite-level talent.

At our best version, we find ways to overcome that, make it tough on them and then certainly not lose the overwhelming majority of those physical battles, the 50/50 battles, the ball in the air, ball on the floor battles.

That made it too much to overcome. The dynamic of those two, but also getting all the extra, effort points.

Q. They only took 18 threes, which is low for anybody. So was there an effort to take away the three-point line that maybe influenced what they were able to get done in the paint?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: No, I wouldn't even say that. They just pummeled us in the paint. They didn't really have to shoot threes. They had, whatever, 60 in the paint. They probably shot over 65 percent in the paint at the rim there. Wasn't a need to space the floor.

We didn't offer much resistance. A lot of those plays were relief points in transition that kind of gave them some separation. Some cuts, some timely cuts and then timely offensive rebounds that led to either buckets or free throw attempts from there.

I thought offensively, we actually did get a lot of opportunities in the paint. I haven't even seen the percentage; I don't have my glasses right now. But I would have to say our percentage in the rim or in the paint was pretty poor.

Yes, you do have to credit their size and everything like that, but we have proven that we can finish in the paint when we're at our best. But offensively, yeah, there's some -- definitely some things where we got flattened out, and they jammed us up in possessions. Got us late into possessions. Then sometimes we're forced with those plays, and that can kind of have a different flow and feel to it than if it's just in our typical rhythm of our offense.

Q. Throughout the playoffs, you talked about the confidence you guys have in the guys outside of Bam and Jimmy to produce and put up big numbers for you guys offensively. What do you think made it difficult on those group of guys tonight?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: I just think sometimes, for us, when we lose a lot of those physical battles, the effort plays, the loose balls, the rebounding battles, that's our identity, and sometimes that can affect the flow of the rest of your game.

That's not an excuse. I think the thing that we've proven over and over and over is we can win and find different ways to win regardless of whether we have confidence, regardless whether the ball is going in. We have a determination to impact the game and find a different solution or different way to win a game regardless of whether the ball is going in.

It felt like at times, some of those missed shots at the rim or in the paint, the makeable shots that we've made the last several months or weeks, that affected a little bit of our, whatever, going down the other end. And that hasn't happened a lot.

I do want to get to the film because I'm not totally sure about that. Just it felt like that. We're at our best when we're winning those battles first, so you can just check that box, the physical battles, 50/50s, ball in the air, ball on the floor. We win those battles, we figure everything else out along the way.

Q. I think the rebound margin was the greatest since like 1972 in a Finals game. When you think about this being what you guys do, was that the message in the locker room, telling the guys, hey, we have to rebound, we have to get to the 50/50? Because it feels like that's the only thing you've said since you've been up here.

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yes. (Laughter.) Well said.

Q. I know you can't do anything about the schedule obviously. Is it a good thing that there's only one day between this one instead of sitting around and stewing for two days?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, I would think so. They probably felt the same way coming off their loss. The extra day, whatever, they -- yeah. Our guys are built to compete, built to get out there. That cadence of playing every 48 hours, yeah.

We'll get to work tomorrow, for sure. But our guys, they want to get out there and compete and have a better showing for sure.

Q. I asked you before the game about Denver getting out in transition even off misses, not necessarily turnovers. You said something to the effect of when Jokic piles up the rebounds, he kind of starts pushing the ball. He obviously had many, many rebounds tonight, 20. What's the first step in slowing them down once he gets the rebound? Where does it start in terms of stopping them from getting out and running?

ERIK SPOELSTRA: Yeah, there's a lot of different layers to that, right? Your offensive execution, your intentionality offensively of getting the right shots. It certainly helps making some of those shots in the paint or at the rim.

But regardless, we have proven that we can figure it out even if we're not making 70 percent of shots in the paint or on rim attempts.

But then your floor balance matters, and then your next-play speed, the brain speed to get on to the next play and make sure you have three or four guys back, and then communication from there.

They did get some relief points, particularly in that first half, when it was either tied or we had small leads that they just came right back with some relief points that just kind of kept them alive and kept the momentum shifting a little bit.