HEAT Head Coach Pat Riley

On the Game:
“It was a heroic finish, right down to the wire. Both teams played highly efficient on offense. It was just great that we could finish it. I knew it was going to be hard to close out. Having [Vince] Carter, [Richard] Jefferson and [Jason] Kidd get 86 points, they definitely came to play and we were very fortunate to overcome that.” “We’re very fortunate to get by the Nets, they’re a great team.”

On final play:
“With one minute and four seconds left all they had was a catch and turn. We didn’t want anything to go to the corner. Dwyane [Wade] just made a play. He went for the ball and got a long arm on it and that was it, just had to knock it away.”

On Dwyane Wade:
“As the series progressed they continued to do things defensively to take us out of our comfort zone with Dwyane. We had other guys to step up and overcome the 15-point deficit.”

On Alonzo Mourning:
“Off the bench he’s a real lift with some points. Zo is getting his presence back. Not only is he scoring a little bit in the low post, but he’s starting to block shots and change shots. Every day and every game he’s getting better. I thought he played well for us.”

On Antoine Walker:
“He played the whole second half and he ended up with 23 points. He hit the biggest three of the game which gave us some distance. He really wants to win. He’s making timely plays and timely shots and you have to have him on the court. It was a big night for him. Without him we won’t win.”

HEAT Guard Dwyane Wade

On the game:
“It feels great to be going back to the Eastern Conference Finals. Last year we went to Game 7 and lost on our own floor and I don’t think it has left any of us. Even though we have some new guys on this team, the guys that were here still feel it, so we will be looking forward to our next opponent.”

On the final play:
“I thought they were going to set more screens for Vince (Carter). I was playing for the lob to (Nened) Kristic and then I saw Jason (Kidd) throw the bounce pass to Vince. I knew I had enough catch-up speed to get there. With one second left all you want to do is make it tough. I was able to get there, get my hand on the ball and that was all she wrote.”

On the possible opponents in the Eastern Conference Finals:
“I don’t care. Of course my boy LeBron (James) is in it so I am rooting for him but at the same time we would love to see Detroit again. I have no favorite but I like to see LeBron go out there and prove people wrong.”

On being the focus of the opposing defense:
“Anytime a team tries to stop me the other guys have to step up and they did and they have been doing it all of the playoffs. Chicago did the same thing and we responded to it.”

On having some time off before the next series:
“When the playoffs first started we were in a fight with Chicago and everyone said we might not win, then we lost the first game to New Jersey. Now look at us, we are the first team to be waiting.”

HEAT Forward Udonis Haslem

On the game:
“I just tried to make myself useful to my team offensively. Most of the plays went through Shaq and Dwyane. They [New Jersey Nets] didn’t do the double team that they did last game leaving me open; therefore I didn’t get as many open shots. I just tried to go to the backboard.”

“We didn’t want to be too overly aggressive out there. We just wanted to play our game and try not to be too wild out there. It kind of seemed like we were too lackadaisical. We picked it up though. That’s what we got to do against a good team. We have to fight, fight, fight for 48 minutes and that’s what we did.”

“We are a team. We have been through our ups, we’ve been through downs, we’ve been through criticism, we’ve been through injuries, we’ve been through fines, we’ve been through ejections and all that type of stuff. Through all of that we have stuck together on the inside.”

On closing the series out in Miami:
“It felt good. I think our fans deserve it. They have been with us 100 percent. They came here and they deserve to see us finish the series off at home.”

HEAT Forward Antoine Walker

On the game:
“We started out shaky in the beginning. We kind of caught up with the second unit in the second quarter. My hats go off to New Jersey. Their Big Three showed why they are the Big Three today. They came out and fought, gave it everything they had to try and get it to Game Six. Now we have time to get a little rest and get ready for the Eastern Conference Finals. Every game is not going to be pretty. I have been in a lot of playoff games and you need your crowd. This is like the 104th game we have played and sometimes you need your crowd to pick you up. We are going to the Eastern Conference Finals and we know that every game is going to be a dog fight. This was a great team victory.

On his late 4th quarter 3-pointer:
“They trapped Dwyane [Wade] and gave me an open look and I was able to knock it down.”

On getting to the Eastern Conference Finals:
“The first time I went (with the Boston Celtics), it was with a young team and now I have a veteran team. A few of these guys were here last year in the same position. We put ourselves in a position that we wanted to be in. Our goals are much higher then getting into the Eastern Conference Finals. I’m looking forward to it.”

“I took time to get into a groove and play with these guys. I think Shaq getting hurt in the beginning of the year made things very difficult. It’s different for me. I’m playing a different role. We have two main guys that are 75 percent of our offense and every body else has to fill in and make the best of the opportunities when they come. It’s a difficult situation but I’ve gotten used to it. It feels good.”

On the series:
“In game one they jumped on us. You have to give them a lot of credit. After watching film, we knew that wasn’t us and we showed that in Game Two. They played very good and their big three were very good for them, but we withstood their runs.”

“Closing out tonight was huge for us. Now we feel really good going into the Eastern Conference Finals.”

HEAT Center Shaquille O'Neal

On the game:
“It feels really good. We started off kind of slow. I told the guys that there is no way that they [New Jersey Nets] would shoot so well the entire game. Let’s keep it close, but at some point we have to make stops and play good defense. I tried to get it going. The guys played well. We played with a lot of energy. We did what we were supposed to do. The fans have been excellent, and we want to encourage them to get louder.”

On the last play of the game:
“D-Wade made a key stop there at the end. We missed a couple of free throws at the end. I know I missed three that I usually make at that time of the game. D-Wade saved the day for us again with a great defensive play.”

On returning to the Eastern Conference Finals:
“We knew that we could get here if we did everything right. So far, we have been playing at a high level. We have been playing pretty good. I am going to keep talking to the guys. Pat [Riley] is going to keep encouraging the guys. It is not over yet. We still have a long way to go. We need to keep playing hard, and keep playing smart. We need to keep playing with a lot of energy. The fans have been a big help. The people of Miami, we love you and we appreciate you.”

Nets Head Coach Lawrence Frank

On the season:
“It’s hard right now to think about the season. I’m just disappointed. I thought we had a tremendous effort. We had five guys that really really busted their tails. Jason (Kidd), Vince (Carter), Richard (Jefferson), (Jason) Collins and (Lamond) Murray and even Jacque (Vaughn) when he was in there. It’s a shame we lost this game. I’m disappointed in myself first. As we see in the playoffs, it’s a game of inches. We’re sitting here having lost 4-1. I could have done a better job maybe. Maybe it could have been the other way around.”

On the Miami HEAT:
“I’d like to give Miami credit. They did a phenomenal job. Obviously, they’re extremely well coached. Their stars were stars. Their supporting cast played a huge role. You have to give Antoine Walker a lot of credit. He was big in all their wins. We wish them the best of luck as they advance.”

On the final play:
“(Udonis) Haslem ran in to him (Vince Carter). Vince’s thigh got caught up with his leg. It was a back pick to a slip, but I did a poor job. We got to be able to get a shot in that situation. I let my guys down. That’s a poor job on my part.”

Net's Guard Vince Carter

On the last play of the game:
“I got tangled up with Udonis’[Haslem] leg that is everyday contact. You cannot blame [the loss] on that and it was a good defensive play by [Dwyane] Wade. He got his hand on it.”

On losing the series:
“[Lawrence Frank} is the coach and he is going to take the heat for his team. I understand that. We as players have to take responsibility when we win and when we lose. We’re on the court we have to make shots. We have to make decisions. We have to compete and be smart and there has been times we didn’t do that which caused us to lose two ball games at home.”

“It was a phenomenal series. We fell short in a couple of games that put us behind. It was a tough game for us. The Miami Heat is a great basketball team and definitely built for the playoffs. When you have a team 3-1 at [their own] building, they did what they were supposed to do. We work hard to establish ourselves in the league and in our division and to prepare ourselves. We felt we could come in and compete with this team.”

Net's Forward Lamond Murray

On the game:
“I think we gave a maximum effort. We did what we could, in terms of pushing the ball and attacking offensively.”

Net's Forward/Guard Richard Jefferson

On the game:
“It’s very disappointing. They were the better team. They made plays when they needed to. I’ve never been part of a series where we’ve been so close. Even down to the last few seconds where there was a loose ball and I could see Vince [Carter] right there and I think he is going to grab it, and then all of a sudden instead of having three seconds we have one and a half seconds to get off a shot. I am extremely proud of this group. I don’t think there was a turning point in this series. We came out and dominated the first game, and they came out and dominated the second game. We come home for two games and then every game in the fourth quarter it seems that they made the plays.”

On his injured ankle:
“I was playing well the first game, then I hurt my ankle. I wasn’t 100-percent but there is no point in complaining about that. This is the playoffs, and you don’t have too much time to be hurt in the playoffs. I wasn’t able to get to the free-throw line as much because I didn’t have my normal explosiveness and quickness to get by defenders. Today, my ankle was feeling a little bit better, and it was the first time I could be more explosive. I didn’t want to go home. I was trying to leave it all out there. I thought we had a good chance. It just wasn’t our year.”