On the game:
“We blew an 11 point lead. I thought the game was scattered with both teams making a ton of turnovers and we went dead in the water for six or seven minutes. Then (Latrell) Spreewell and (Allan) Houston started draining everything. It takes a lot of resolve to hang in there. We were losing all confidence and all poise and then (LaPhonso Ellis) made a big three, then Travis (Best) hit it and then Travis makes the play to win it.”

On the HEAT’s cold fourth quarter:
“We kept it very simple, we didn’t try to pass the ball. We were just horrendous offensively. Guys were tentative and not putting the ball on the floor and when they put it on the floor it was a turnover. We wanted to put it in Travis’ hands and run high pick and rolls and make a play out of it.”

On Travis Best’s game winning basket:
“He had ten seconds to think about what he was going to do. They kept switching that high pick and roll. That’s what his ability is. He didn’t even get the pick. He was waiting for the pick, the guy started to shade him and he split it. He went right to the rim and made a hell of a shot over Kurt (Thomas).”

On getting the win:
“The guys really needed this. We played well for six games in a row. It’s harrowing. Six straight games going down to the wire. We lost the last two in the last minute and a half. We found enough guts and poise at the end to win it.”

On Brian Grant’s ejection:
“It’s born out of frustration. He’s our rebounder. He thinks he got hit. Whether he did or not at that particular time he didn’t want to go off but he was very, very frustrated. We didn’t change our approach after that we just kept going with high pick and rolls.”

On the performance of LaPhonso Ellis:
“He helps us every single day in the locker room, in practice and in the limited time that he’s been getting. He’s one of our best system players. I felt at the end of the game that’s who I wanted out there.”

On the game:
“Our will pushed us through the last minute and a half. Hopefully this is the first step in moving forward after taking two tough losses in the fourth.”

On the last play:
“(Howard) Eisley was playing pretty aggressively and Travis (Best) just attacked. It was the right play to make.”

On Brian Grant’s ejection:
“He was obviously frustrated and sometimes that happens. He got caught up in the moment and the emotion of the game. Those kinds of things happen. When he went out (our) guys really had to buckle down because he’s one of our defensive anchors. Guys had to step up and grind out some defensive stops.”

On the game:
“We executed down the stretch. We did what we had to do defensively by forcing their best players to pass the ball to non-shooters and we came away victorious. It always feels great to get a win at home before going on the road. It was definitely a needed win. We’ve been giving them away lately down the stretch.”

On the last play:
“I started towards the basket and it turned out that I didn’t have to use the screen because Howard (Eisley) pushed me to my right. It opened up and I went straight to the hole. When I saw the opening I just went.”

On the game:
“We didn’t really execute that well tonight but we got the plays when we needed them. It was a big lift when LaPhonso (Ellis) hit that three going down the stretch.”

On the game:
“Guys stepped up and made big-time plays, defensive stops and kept the ball out of their prime time players hands. We were able to finish this game. LaPhonso (Ellis) made a great fake screen for Travis (Best) so he could get to the basket and make the game-winning bucket. I’m going to say he made a ‘stunt screen’. We are gradually learning to close out games. Tonight we made a lot of defensive stops at the end. Everybody played well.”

On the game:
“I knew the only way for the HEAT to get back into the game was with three’s. They got the three’s. We had to get in close and drive them out of the three-point area. It was all about the three-point shot. I thought we could have held the game. We needed to get a second and third pass at times. It hurts when you travel and play back-to-backs and still lose when you play well. It hurts when you don’t reap the benefits of working hard and don’t succumb to fatigue.”

On the last four minutes of the game:
“We held our intensity. I think the guys thought we had the game and relaxed. I don’t think we let the intensity drop.”

On Travis Best’s three-pointer:
“I don’t know if that is his best shot. We ran a switch like usual. We always do that.”

On the last shot:
“I’ll take it a hundred times. It was a great move by Al (Allan Houston) to get to the middle. My man came off me to help and he kicked it to me, it was a great shot. I just rushed it a little bit. I knew I didn’t have much time on the clock. I didn’t shoot the ball well tonight, it happens. It was a great game, you have to give Miami credit. They hung in there, they kept fighting even thought they were down. They found a way to pull it out.”

On the fourth quarter performance:
“We just couldn’t get it in the hole. We had a number of good looks at the basket, we just couldn’t get one to fall for us.”

“It was a blown coverage by us. It happens. It was a great shot by Travis (Travis Best). I thought I was there to make it tough on him, but he found a way to put it in the hole.”

On the game:
We were confident. We felt we had the upper hand. We felt we were in control, but those two threes broke our back. Then we couldn’t make a shot on the other end.”

On the last quarter:
“I thought we were trying to be conservative and run the clock on the game. They hit two big shots. We didn’t play the high pick and roll well tonight on those last three possessions, which allowed them to get the two threes and then run it again for a layup. We thought we had the game under control, but on the defensive end we were not getting stops.”

On the last few possessions:
“We had the turnover when I tried to get the ball to Spoon (Clarence Weatherspoon), and then they get two threes to tie it. They come right down again and got that layup. We have to find a way to stop that. We had some big opportunities under the basket and didn’t finish. We weren’t able to score down the stretch and it goes back to us not being aggressive. I thought about taking the three near the end, but there was about 19 seconds left, so I felt it was too early. Thinking back, I probably should have just taken that shot. That puts them in a real bind.”

On the game:
“We felt we were in control. We definitely gave them a gift tonight down the stretch. We just have to bounce back and get ready for the next one. They played good defense, we played good defense up until the last two or three possessions when they made the three pointers. I think I missed two or three plays down the stretch. Both teams played hard. Both teams played good defense.”