Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra
On not being able to put it all together at the same time in this game
“The flood gates weren’t open in the second-half. They obviously did a great job of breaking us down and no matter what we did, we just couldn’t keep them out of the paint and playing uphill the rest of the half, all the way through. So this is new territory for us. It doesn’t make it right, wrong, good, or bad. This is what we’re dealing with and this is how you develop championship characters. You have to go through things sometimes and sometimes they come at unpredictable times. We all know we have to play much better, much more committed defensively and that’s really the deal.”
On the current frustration level of the Miami Heat team and how to manage it
“Our group understands that there are a lot of ups and downs in a season. You have to manage everything. Yes, our locker room is angry. Yes, our locker room is frustrated, as rightly we should be. We’re not accustomed to this type of play, these type of standards, particularly on the defensive end and if we want to change, we have to look inward. Every single one of us, including the staff, including the players to make change.”
On Anthony Davis
“He’s a very good, young player that can do virtually everything on the basketball court. His age belies his game.”
Heat Forward LeBron James
On what it takes to turn their current playing style around
“We all need to get on the same page and figure it out. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
On what it takes to get back into a good playing style
“There’s too many excuses. Everything is an excuse. Something goes wrong: an excuse. Line-up change: an excuse. Turn the ball: an excuse. We need to own what we’re doing right now and what we’re doing right now isn’t good enough.”
Heat Forward Chris Bosh
On where does getting back into shape start
“It starts and ends with us. Right now we’re looking for other people or some miraculous situation to come down and help us and nobody is going to help us. We have to help us. That’s how it’s always been and always will be.”
On if the current frustration motivates them to do better
“It can definitely light a fire, but that is going to make the next game easier. We need that competitive drive and we don’t have it. It’s unacceptable, we have to draw the line somewhere. I’ll be the first to say it ‘we suck’, and if we don’t turn this game around we’ll be watching this championship from home.”