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NBA FINALS: HEAT v THUNDER


June 14, 2012


Scott Brooks


OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Two

Q.  You fell behind double figures the last couple games in the first half.  What do you do to address something like that?
COACH BROOKS:  We definitely talked about it.  We have to come out with better execution.  I thought they did a good job of really coming out and being aggressive, and they hit some shots.  They hit some tough threes, and then we gave them a few easy transition threes that we have to clean up.  We have to come out better, better defensive balance, better offensive execution.  It's tough to come back when you're down 13.  Throughout that first quarter, early in the second quarter, we have to hopefully do a better job of not letting that happen tonight.

Q.  Your small lineup seemed to work a little better than your big lineup in Game 1.  Any thought to using it more, or did you like the way you balanced those out?
COACH BROOKS:  I think it's always a balance thing with our lineups because we have some unique players that can play multiple positions.  We won a lot of games big and we won a lot of games small, and we won a lot of games mixing it up, and with Kevin you have some luxuries because he's our small lineup at 6'10", but he can also play our big lineup at 6'10" at the four spot.  That's why we have a very good team because we can use a lot of guys on our team.  Nick played the fourth quarter, Fish played a lot in the fourth quarter, but everybody has to stay ready.  I'm sure tonight might be different, but I don't know.  We'll just see how the game goes and foul trouble and time, score, see who's playing well.

Q.  Miami uses a small lineup a bunch, even to the point where you could probably get by with a super small lineup without Perk, Nick or Serge.  Have you ever thought about using those five together?  Durant is the biggest guy out there?
COACH BROOKS:  No.  I mean, hey, if I can play Kevin at all five spots, it would be pretty good.  No, with Kevin you can‑‑ I've played him before at the five.  It's usually not good.  But no, you won't see Kevin at the five.  I hope not.  He probably doesn't want to play the five.

Q.  LeBron on Durant, everybody is begging Spoelstra to do that.  Assuming he does that, what does that mean to Durant, to you guys, all that?
COACH BROOKS:  It doesn't affect how we play.  We worry about‑‑ I worry about coaching our guys and trying to help our guys, put them in a position to play better than our first game.  I can't control what they do.  We like to attack, and we like to play aggressive basketball on both ends, and we have to.  That's when we're at our best.  We're not concerned who guards who.  We just know that we have to guard.  We have to guard and we have to do it, all five guys have to do their job, all five guys have to run back, all five guys have to rebound.  And offensively, it's the same thing.  It takes all five guys to score.  Kevin is our best scorer, but a lot of times Perk and Nick and our bigs do a great job of getting him open and that's what they have to do tonight.  Whoever is guarding Kevin, they have to be screened.

Q.  Have you noticed any difference at all in your team?
COACH BROOKS:  No.  We've always had that kind of do your job every day approach, one game at a time.  And it's always in the Playoffs, you can get overwhelmed if you look at the entire series as a whole series and you look at the Playoffs as a championship run.  We look at it as we've got to play well tonight.  We can't worry about what we did last game, and we have to focus on this game.  You can't worry about the next game, can't worry about the next three in Miami.  You have to just focus on tonight's game, and our guys have never changed from that thinking.  I don't think they ever will, either.

Q.  Derek Fisher has been there and done that on this huge stage.  What has he brought to your team, any kind of stability inside the locker room this week with all the chaos going on around him?
COACH BROOKS:  Well, he has‑‑ he's having an incredible career.  The guy has been‑‑ this is his eighth NBA Finals in 16 years.  As a player you wish you can get there once.  A lot of players have never been there, and he has five championships.  He gives us a lot of experience, and he's a good player.  He still has good games in him, and he's helped us win a lot of games since he has been with us, when we picked him up.  He gives us experience, he gives us toughness, he gives us just leadership, and he's a winner.  I've never been around a player that communicates as well as he does with his teammates, never have.  The guy has an incredible knack for saying the right things at the right times.  The guys respect him, obviously they should and they do, but he brings a lot.  He's helping this team win this year, and he's going to help this team win many years with all the things that they've took from him this past two or three months.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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