December 28, 2013
NOTES
• Despite the loss, the Trail Blazers have won at least 24 of their first 30 games for just the fourth time in team history (27-3, 1990-91; 25-5, 1977-78; 24-6, 1998-99).
• Tonight’s loss snapped Portland streak of 11 straight wins against the Eastern Conference to begin the season, a franchise record (10, 1990-91).
• The Trail Blazers lost for the first time this year when taking a lead into the fourth quarter (19-1) and for the first time when leading at halftime (14-1).
• Portland lost this season for the first time when shooting at least 50.0% from the field (5-1).
• LaMarcus Aldridge joined Sidney Wicks (1971-72) as the only Trail Blazers with at least 700 points and 300 rebounds in Portland's first 30 games of a season. Aldridge now has 701 points and 326 rebounds on the year.
• Damian Lillard's four 3-pointers tonight give him 93 on the season, tied with Golden State's Klay Thompson for most in the NBA. He has now made multiple 3-pointers in 25 games this season, the most of any player in the league. Lillard converted his first four field goal attempts on the night, including three from beyond the 3-point arc.
• Nicolas Batum has made a 3-pointer in each of Portland's 30 games. No other NBA player has made a trey in all of his team's games this year.
• Wesley Matthews' five 3-pointers tonight match his season high (two other times).
• Portland has now scored at least 90 points in each of its first 30 games for the first time since the 1988-89 season. The Trail Blazers are the first NBA team to score 100 points or more in 17 straight games since Toronto’s 20-game streak from Jan. 6-Feb. 20, 2010.
• Joel Freeland recorded a new career high with 12 rebounds. He set his previous career best of eight rebounds in Portland's last game vs. the L.A. Clippers on Dec. 26. He helped lead the Trail Blazers bench to 19 of the team’s 41 rebounds on the night.
• Robin Lopez tied his season high with 17 points (Nov. 11 vs. Detroit).
• Mo Williams set a new season high with nine assists (8, twice).
• Portland and Miami combined to make each of the game’s first five shot attempts and finished the first quarter a combined 25-for-40 (62.5%) from the field.
• Chris Bosh tallied a new season high with 37 points, 12 more than his previous high mark for the season (25, 12/20 vs. Sacramento).
• Mario Chalmers grabbed a new career-best nine rebounds (7, seven times). He finished one point, one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double.
Was This An Opportunity Wasted?:
“We let one go. We had a decision to make if we wanted to start to play better defense and try to take over the game and we didn’t do that.”
On Defending Bosh's Game-Winner:
“I think we had a miscommunication. I mean, two of us still closed out to the shot and he shot it real high and it was a big shot.”
On Turnovers, Especially Late In The Fourth:
“They denied passes, they shot passing lanes. We knew that that was what they did coming into the game. I think just because of how successful we were offensively, we kind of thought the same things were going to be there and they did a good job of taking it away.”
On Bosh:
“He had a good game. He shot the ball well. He came out hot and then he kind of cooled off and then he finished the game kind of hot. He’s an All Star. With LeBron out, I kind of expected him to bring that type of game.”
Do You Take A Lesson Away From This Game Having Lost A Close One:
“Tonight, we made a lot of mistakes. It was kind of a lesson that all of those things came back to bite us. But you can’t win them all. We’ve won so many of them and tonight we almost had another one. He hit a big shot and it was a tough one.”
Do You Feel The Turnovers Were "Dumb"?:
“Yeah, they were. We talked about how they shoot passing lanes and really attack the ball and try to steal the ball, and we basically let them do that.”
Terry Stotts
On Tonight's Game:
“Well, it was obviously a disappointing loss. I was disappointed that we put ourselves in that position at the end of the game where it had to come down to a couple plays at the end. Give Miami credit. We knew that they had a lot of good players and with James out, they had a lot of good players that can make plays and they did. We didn’t defend as well as we needed to throughout the game. We did in parts, but not as often as we needed to.”
What Was Most Disappointing About Ending Of The Game?:
“I was disappointed that we were in that position to begin with. I thought it was a loose game in the first half. I didn’t think we communicated well defensively. We just let it be a loose game in the first half. That kind of set the tone. We’ve been in a lot of close games, we’ve won a lot of close games, but we had an opportunity and we didn’t take advantage of it.”
On Last Inbounds Play Offensively:
“That was exactly what we wanted… But again, whether it was that possession or their two scores at the end, as a coach, I’m looking at the totality of it.”
On Bosh Game-Winner:
“Look, he was three or four feet behind the line, we had two guys running at him. Wade throws it back to him and it was a great shot.”
On Bosh's Game
“He made his jump shots early. His threes - I didn’t count on him going 3 for 3 from threes. He made his jump shots. He played a terrific game and they needed him to. They’ve got guys who have won championships together and Chris Bosh has been an All Star and he carried a team to the playoffs by himself, so he’s certainly capable of doing that.”
Chris Bosh
On His Conversation With Coach About Taking A Three Rather Than A Two:
"He had me going on the move, it was just where I was. I've been playing for a little while now, so I kind of figured that it would be a long two and I didn't want that. I knew that I would be more open and have more space if I popped for three. In that situation, I wanted to go for the win. It's just how I felt at the moment, so we changed it to where Dwayne had an opportunity downhill and if he got double-teamed, I was behind him for the jumper."
On Why He Wanted To Go For Three:
"My momentum was going to be taking me away so I was going to have to stop, set, and there wasn't much time. So, I wanted to come downhill a little bit and be able to step into it."
On His Ability To Play The Lead Role Tonight:
"I can have a bigger brush. He [Lebron James] lays a bigger canvas out there, so it was a lot of space I was working with. I knew they were going to put the big fellow on me a lot and I just wanted to do my best to mix up taking it to the whole and shooting the jumper and be aggressive at all times, which sometimes I am able to do, but it's more so with making plays."
On His Performance At Both Ends Tonight:
"It's always like that against a good player like LaMarcus. Sometimes you have to do it on both ends, and I take pride in that."
On The Change In His Game To Be Able To Perform At Both Ends:
"I'm a much better player than I was in Toronto. I was able to score a lot of points, but I wasn't a two-way player. I'm a two-way player now. I feel that I'm a lot better offensively. I'm a totally different player. CB before is gone, a long time ago, and you can't get him back."
Dwyane Wade
On Game-Winning Play:
"My mindset was to turn the corner and be aggressive. In my peripherals, I saw LaMarcus coming, or one of the bigs, so, I knew I was going to have to make a tough shot. I saw [Chris Bosh] was open, so I just threw it back and he made an unbelievable shot."
On Chris Bosh's Plan To Go For Three:
"He said, 'I'm shooting the three.' He said, 'DD, get it, I'm slipping out and shooting a three.' It didn't really go exactly like that, but I knew he was going to be at the three. And he wanted it, he wanted to shoot it. So, when a guy asks for it, you want to do your job. My job was to drive his man to me and give him some time, and he was able to do that."
On Chris Bosh's Ability To Hit Game-Winning Shots:
"He's been at them since Toronto. It's good to have that weapon, a big guy who can step out and shoot that way. He had a phenomenal night, probably his best game of the year. He was aggressive from the start - we really needed it, everything that he gave us. On both ends of the floor, he did a great job. LaMarcus Aldridge, 1-on-1, is a tough cover but he kept making him take tough shots and eventually we got a few to miss and got back in the game."
Erik Spoelstra
On Tonight's Game:
On last night's loss and an emotional win tonight against the top team:
"It was a tough loss. None of us felt good today. And then not sure who was going to play until 35 minutes before the game, but the guys were suited up and they were ready. We got a lot of contributions and just continued to hang around. Our defense in the first half was very poor, but they were so good. They were knocking down shots and that's a very talented, unselfish offensive team. In the second half, we were able to get into a little bit better of a rhythm, some more stops and a little bit less pressure on our offense."
"Obviously, the man of the night, Chris Bosh, was terrific on both ends - a true two-end player. He took the challenge for the majority of his minutes on one of the premier players in this league and then had to shoulder a big offensive load going down the other end. That takes incredible stamina, but also a skill set that he put on full display tonight on both ends of the court. My call at the end of the game was much more conservative. I drew something up to get him on the move, and he said no, I want it for the three. So, he overruled it and it became a profit."
On The Final Play Of The Game And Bosh's Ability To Hit Game-Winners:
"He already hit two threes, he was feeling it, he wanted it. And as soon as he said it, I said, 'Yeah, that makes sense.' It was much better than what I had planned."