Coach Spo, Bam, Gabe Vincent x Caleb Martin React To Heat Game 3 vs Celtics | May 21, 2023

Sir, withstanding the other team's best early punch instead of throwing the first two, three, four punches, what does it say about your team that they can come out against a desperate opponent and make this kind of statement? That was a solid, mature, professional approach. There's a lot of pent up stuff here and we're getting closer but we still have to finish this off. But certainly the approach, and you can tell by just the morning session how much it means to everybody, but then you have to prove it and do it on the wood. Boston did come out but we were able to get the game on our terms and sustain it even through some of the runs in the first half and early in the third quarter. They sent more doubles at Jimmy today. What did you like about the way you guys handled that and maybe generate open looks off that? Yeah, there was one turnover in the first half. But look, we've been dealing with this for a little bit, not just in the postseason but there were a handful of key games going down the stretch where teams were committed to try to take the ball out of his hands and so that gave us some things to work on during the regular season. And then we handled it much better after that one turnover. We just got a little bit more organized. The spacing was much better and then the plays out of the trap, guys were assertive on the catch. But again, if we didn't have those five games during the regular season where we came in the next day and we're really working on it, watching film on it, just getting all on the same page about it, it could be different by the time we get to the postseason. And then the last series, obviously, was New York. They were pretty committed to that, so at least it was at the front of our mind. Eric, when you talk about the pent-up stuff you just referred to, is that still residual from the regular season? Is that just because you're so close to getting to where you want to go? You can probably fill in the blanks from that. But we have respect deep respect for Boston and everything that we went through previously. And some of the motions are coming out, but I like that. And then we're just going to direct this and keep on focusing on the task at hand. And we'll decompress tomorrow, but we'll really get our minds right to finish this thing off. You've been very consistent since March saying how much you liked the direction the offense was taking. And even if the threes fell tonight, make or miss, what have you liked so much about the offense in the postseason? Well, I liked just the work during the last three months of season. It really was all season long, but the intention of coming in after really frustrating losses, watching film, working at it, being intentional, getting on the same page, over-communicating it. This is not working. This is working. Let's get to what's working more. And everybody just pouring into that process. Those are gratifying experiences, particularly when you're losing games and you're getting criticized for it, but you're still able to just come together and try to get it right. That doesn't always happen. Sometimes you fall prey to the criticism and it can go sideways. But this group showed a resilience to try to get it right. And some of those tough lessons during the regular season where we're losing games because of that, we were getting better from that. How important is Gabe's pull-up shooting been specifically during this playoff run between the step-back threes coming off the screen? Yeah. I'm glad you mentioned that. It's not just the pull-up. It's just his assertiveness and aggressiveness and reading the game. I thought he had as much of an impact and put his fingerprints on the win in game two as he did tonight. One of the games he had four points, another game he had 29. And he has that emotional stability. He sees guys like Jimmy and Bam, who are the perfect role models coming in as a young player, that it's about impacting winning. And sometimes it's about constantly making the right play and doing it on both ends of the court. That's tough to do as a young player because so much is celebrated just about that last number on the box score. But we do need, since Tyler and Vic are out, we do need Gabe scoring. I don't want to say that. We need his assertiveness. We need his aggressiveness. We need him putting his eyes on the rim and then making the right play. And everybody wants him to do that. The same thing with Caleb. We want those guys every single time down the floor to be aggressive. It can't just be Jimmy and Bam. Now they're doing, you know, the big muscle work, but you need a lot of guys contributing. And we all love that Nambi version. You know, I've seen that one. And there'll be times where we do need that one. You know, when he's Nambi, he can be special too. You've talked over the years about the Duncan-Bam handoff connection, but just seeing what it's evolved into with the back cutting, with the lob to Bam today, with all the different things they're able to do, just what have you seen it evolve into from that original handoff hook? Yeah, it's like five years of just Malcolm Gladwell, the 10,000 hour rule. This is 10,000 hours of drilling with those two guys a long time ago, forever. And initially it was all dribble handoffs, you know, that kind of trigger. Then we really needed Bam to be also a scorer. Then we needed Duncan to be able to put the ball on the floor, do all the back cut and all this stuff, and then try to connect that and get everybody synergistic. And that takes some time, you know, when both guys are trying to develop new parts of their game. But this is the constant evolution of two guys trying to get it right and knowing that there has to be improvement in that two-man action. But when both guys are a threat and both guys can just read the defense and both guys are not just predetermining, that's when it's at its best. Spoke, you talked so much recently about how important the regular season was and how important playing in all those closed games were to get you all to this point. But why is nobody surprised that you all have been able to maintain the level you have in the postseason? Not sure and we don't really care. You know, if people don't really want to pay attention to what happened in the regular season, we're not going to make excuses for it. We just had to deal with a lot this year. And I think that beauty in the struggle of not making excuses for it, not collapsing your spirit, you know, because it got tough. There's nothing easy about it and there can be a beauty in that. You can get better from that. But we never felt that we were far off from where we were last year. So it is what it is. But this has been one of, you know, the most interesting and gratifying regular seasons. I'm not talking about the postseasons, but just to be able to go through that struggle together and come out of it with a group that was pure of intention and then trying to get better and then see it play out in the playoffs, you know, that's ultimately what you would love a regular season to do for you. Yes. Well, you mentioned it can't just be Jimmy and Bam. How gratifying is it to see in a game this important that it was Caleb and Gabe and Duncan stepping up the way they did, you know, in the game that you knew that it was going to be very important? Yeah. And Jimmy and Bam are both fueling that. They're just infusing those guys with confidence. You know, in all the moments of truth, you know, Jimmy is going to put his will on the game and that's what everybody wants from him. And the same thing goes for Bam. You know, the beauty of that relationship is they both know at this point how special and unique that partnership is. You know, as a head coach, I love seeing that. They both see it in each other. But then they also know that they have to impact everybody else on the roster. And, you know, we talk about it all the time. You want to breathe life into other guys and ultimately enjoy someone else's success. But that takes great emotional stability. You know, there's a lot of pressure and voices and noise, you know, coming at you from a lot of different ways. But those guys get it, you know, and you're seeing, you know, some of the role players, you know, really grow and be able to expand their games. That only happens if your star players really want that. Eric, how's Kevin's ankle? Yeah, we'll find out. He says he's fine. He was a little bit, like, you know, scared about it. He said he probably could have gone in in the second half, but he just wanted to reevaluate it. We're up 15 and I was like, all right, let's just make sure we know what's going on. That's where I'm going right now, you know, is to meet with the trainers and just find out exactly what it is. I don't even know if it's his ankle, you know, at this point. He was just, you know how he is. He's a tough veteran guy. Like, he said he was fine. So we'll see you tomorrow. Okay, thank you. How are we doing? How are we doing? How are you doing? Doing well, thank you. How, obviously, when a team loses two at home, you knew they were going to get their best shot and it didn't look like there was much of a shot from them. How rewarding is it? Are you guys in any way surprised that this one played out the way it did? I don't know. Surprise is the word. I mean, we played well tonight. We defended. We made shots. We forced them into turnovers and it was just great to be home. I think we rode the momentum of our crowd as well. Okay, when it comes to just the dialogue that you and Spoe have as a coach and player off the court and just obviously during the game, can you, in a short time, describe some of that a bit? I mean, well, shorthand, a lot of it's basketball related, whether it's where we're trying to get the ball, what set we're going to run. If he sees something, something he wants me to do or even just share with somebody else. If Bam can't hear him down the court, he needs me to tell Bam something. So I just try to be a voice for him on the court. If there's something that he needs me to relay and we just go from there. Gabe, you had a lot of success with your pull-up shooting tonight. When you're coming off the pick and roll and the big is in the drop, Spoe mentioned how he kind of needs you to be assertive looking at the rim. What is your decision-making process in that situation in terms of, I'm going to go for the shot or I'm going to get my teammates involved? How does that work for you typically? Yeah, I mean, for me personally, a lot of it's just the flow of the game. If there's another guy that has a hot hand, maybe we'll try to manipulate the pick and roll some way to find him. But my teammates tell me time and time again to come off the pick and roll and be aggressive and then make reads from there. So when they're giving me that confidence and I see a couple go in, I'll definitely continue to be aggressive. Gabe, Spoe's been consistent throughout the regular season, even when shots weren't falling team-wide, that you guys were building something on offense. What was the process like of building even through the failures of the regular season? And how has the offense kind of set you up for success in the postseason? Yeah, I'd say the process was painful at times and rewarding at others. But definitely right now it's rewarding. It's paid off. We've put in a lot of work. It's been a long season and we're just playing good basketball at the best time. Spoe mentioned you having Jimmy Butler and Bam as kind of role models when you entered the league. Is there anything specific that you've been able to take away from them and maybe even involve in your game on the court, maybe more off the court kind of thing? Is there anything specific that you could speak to about what you've taken away from those guys? I wouldn't say anything like too specific, but their approach. I think their approach to the the way they compete. We've seen them both when they get in their mode and how they find ways to continue to stay in it or to get back into it night in and night out. Watching them up close in my first year in the bubble, seeing the way they competed during that run was huge for me. It was motivation for me. It was just inspiring to see them go out there and go that hard every night. And now playing, I know how exhausted they were. And doing it time and time again, it's inspiring and they'll continue to lead us and we'll continue to follow. You got to the heat as more of a two guard and they kind of developed your point guard skills. How much of the circumstances, injuries kind of brought out more of the scoring ability and kind of asked for you to score more and play that role? I mean, you never know when or where opportunity will come. All you could do is try to be ready for it. And whether it was working in the dark or film, just trying to stay prepared, knowing that there was other facets of my game that I may not have been able to show at this level based on the opportunity provided. And when it was, I just tried to take advantage and most importantly, how my team went. Gabe, you've gone through a lot of tough matchups throughout this playoffs, having to guard certain guards on each of these teams. I guess just how much easier is it to make it for you when Jimmy and Bam are always seem to be like helpers for you? One of them is always going to be fully helping over, I guess. What's the trust level and make that easy for you defensively? Yeah, I mean, well, Jimmy and Bam are when they're off the ball, they're great defensively, especially the way they can lurk and get in passing lanes or meet a guy when he gets to the rim. But the way we defend is all five. It's not just those two guys helping me. It's Max as a shrink up the corner or Duncan rotating or Kyle telling me there's a screen off the ball or Caleb coming and doubling. We've got a number of guys that are just competing at a high level, talking, running around, scrambling. So we're playing great, but definitely Bam and Jimmy lead the way with that. No question about it. Hey Gabe, I remember speaking with you during media day and the first thing you talked about was the disappointing way last season ended and you talked about that being a driving force for you. Is that something we could use to explain this incredible playoff run? You could. I'm sure you guys will at some point, but you know, we just, we want to win. Our goals never changed. Ups and downs. Year in, year out, the Miami Heat are trying to compete for a title and this year is no different. Yeah, Gabe, Spoon mentioned that, hey, Gabe had a big game tonight, but we felt like he was just as impactful in game two with only four points. And he kind of phrased it as emotional stability, being able to stay committed, you know, regardless of what your stat line or your shots look like. What's key for you to main that emotional stability, regardless if you're taking, making shots, whatever, finding a way to still be impactful. Yeah, I think it's just important for me to just be where my feet are and just be as present as possible. Whether it's a bad first half or a turnover, just having the next play mentality and just focus on how can I win the next position? How can I help my team win this next possession or this next play? And just continue to find ways to just help my team. To win the favorites, to win the series and now one step to make the finals. What is the mentality for the next game? The next game, the mentality is to come out, compete at a high level, defend, you know, try to make the right read every time offensively and just play good basketball. You know, it's the first of four games. We're not satisfied with three. It's great to be at home and we're looking forward to playing in front of our fans again. Appreciate you guys. Bam, I know you guys always believe you can win any game no matter what, no matter what the situation is, but in 11 and three or whatever you guys are in the postseason to win this game by 30 or whatever it was, are you guys, are you, are you surprising yourself a little bit on any level with just how, how some of this has gone or how much, how different the story seems to have shifted from what you guys went through the first six months of the year? No, we just needed, you know, the ups and downs prepared us for these moments. They prepared us for, you know, going 11 and three in the postseason, you know, still having a great opportunity to go further in, in this playoff run. So for us, it's not shocking because you, I mean, y'all not around, but y'all don't see the work that a lot of guys put in, you know, and you know, it's, it's speaking volume right now in this postseason. So for us, I don't believe it's a, it's a surprise or a shocker. How important has Gabe's scoring ability and just aggression been during this playoff run? I mean, Gabe's been, Gabe's been Mr. Reliable and he's, and it's not just scoring. You know, y'all see, y'all see the scoring, but I see him being in the right spots, making the right pass, communicating on defense, taking charges and, you know, he's doing the little things and then obviously he can score the basketball too. Hey, Bam, Spoh mentioned during his postgame remarks that a lot of the pent up, built up emotion that you guys have is starting to come out. And then it was asked like, well, is it, is that from the regular season? I'm wondering if that stretches all the way back to last year and last conference finals, if that, if that's the emotion that, that we're talking about. I mean, being number one in the conference and you lose in the Eastern Conference Finals. It does, it does sting, but I think the grit and the, the motivation and the aggression that we play with has just been through this up and down season. You know, that experience has built us for these moments and we'll all express on ourselves throughout the playoffs. Bam Spoh said after last Eastern Conference Finals that he wanted, he, there were some changes he wanted to make to the offense and all year long, even though the shots weren't always falling, he said, you guys are building towards something. Now the offense is obviously clicking on an entirely different level, but what role has Spoh played in building the offense up to this point? One thing about it, Spoh always believed in all of us. I feel like that's the biggest thing, you know, day in, day out, he always fueled us. He always came in there with a, with a positive mindset and you know, wanting us to win. So for us, you know, it's great to have a coach like that who believes in everybody, one through 15. Did, did he maybe believe in the offensive times when you guys didn't? I don't think we didn't believe. I just think shots won't fall in. So, you know, sticking to the strip and, you know, not, not veering away from that and being consistent day in, day out, shots going or not, uh, sticking, stay, staying the course and trying to be consistent. Bam, you mentioned a couple of times in the last week that nobody's surprised by what you guys are doing. If somebody started following and watching your games in the last couple of weeks or so since this postseason said, well, what the hell happened? What would you tell him? Uh, man, you know, when you got guys with backs against the wall, you know, almost out of the playoffs, you know, lose the first playing game and you win the second one. And then you just build off of that. We get in the playoffs. All right, let's start chipping away. And it's believing, uh, you know, believing in one another, believing that we can get a win, believing that we can beat, you know, the number one team in the league. Uh, you know, when you belief is real, uh, and we've got a will to win. And I know it didn't matter tonight cause you didn't play the fourth, but I think early in the series, uh, even holding players at 24% shooting, I think in the fourth quarter, this playoffs, I guess, just what is it about, I guess, the fourth quarter defensively things tightened down and just what is, what changes, I guess, compared to the rest of the game. Uh, I feel like the fourth quarter is, you know, when everything matters the most and not discredit in the first three quarters, but you know, when you get in that fourth quarter and everybody's rallied around each other in that huddle and it's when the quarter, when the game, uh, a lot of us take that to heart, you know, I know, I know I do, uh, especially so for us, it's, you know, when the quarter, when the game, even if it was about half a point, bam, could you take us through that spin move that you had on a Jalen Brown? And I guess just how much your explosive law plays also electrified the crowd tonight. Uh, I mean, just out there playing basketball, uh, being free, having fun, you know, coach wants me to be aggressive. They want the ball in my hand. So out there making place. Any thoughts on how the role players really stepped up tonight, you know, gave career game and kind of the unheralded players like Duncan, Max and Caleb. I mean, they're, they're in the flow right now. They're finding out ways to score getting easy baskets, uh, seeing the ball go in and behind the scenes, they put in all the, all the work you can imagine. Pam, they made a lineup change. I know they started the second half of game like that, but you know, they said ahead of time today, they were going to do it, right. How did you guys react to just seeing that they started differently? I mean, knowing when they, when they made a lineup switch, they're going to try to play faster. So biggest thing for us was getting back in transition, loading to the ball and, uh, making them take difficult shots, trying to keep them in the half court instead of in transition. All right. We'll take one from zoom. Christos Saltis. Go ahead. Hey Pam, congrats on the win. Now one win away from the NBA finals. How big was that? How big is that for you reflected on what's happened, but everything that you've been through this season, and what do you need to do in game four to finish the job? Uh, finish the job when, uh, that's bottom line, but through all these ups and downs, good and bad of the season, I feel like the biggest thing that, you know, we were all really relied on was each other and staying together. Like a lot of smarter people. Caleb, you've always been, even going back to last year, your confidence has never really been in question, but after the year you guys have had collectively, just where has the confidence we've seen for the last five weeks come from? I don't know. I think like you said, it's kind of always been there. We just, the season, the regular season has been a roller coaster. So I think the fact that we got our foot in the door in the playoffs and, um, I think we take our chances with any team that has to beat us four times. You know what I mean? I think that's what it is. And I think that, uh, we just understand that, you know, all the way down the line from, from Spoe all the way down to the last guy on the bench that we believe in each other and we're a connected group and, um, that we'll find ways to win games. Caleb, teams that kind of go up to, oh, it could be natural to maybe ease off a little bit and let the Celtics maybe get one here. What was the mindset for you guys coming into this one? And what does 3-0 mean to you guys? Uh, I mean, to me personally, like, I mean, I think I could speak for, you know, everybody in the locker room, but, you know, we understand that it's not done. Like I was saying, it's, um, it's not first to three, it's first to four. So crazy things happen. Uh, crazy things has happened and we're going to understand, um, you know, the history of that team is a winning organization and they're going to come out and, uh, try to grab a game and go back to Boston. So, uh, we got to do everything in our power to understand it's going to be the toughest game, toughest game yet. And, uh, try to close it out at home. Caleb, so much of you, so many of you guys are playing well around Bam and Jimmy. What do you feel like you guys have proved as far as the depth of this team in this playoff run? Um, I think it's just a lot of credit to those two guys who just get everybody involved. They could easily take every shot they wanted to right now. You know, with guys down, guys like Tyler that are out, he typically take those shots, like, you know, um, that just shows the belief they have in us. And that just like, and he, you know, asking where the confidence comes from is a lot of it stems from those two guys too, just believing in us, getting us, getting us open looks and, um, believing that we'll knock them down, whether we make or miss or continue to make the right plays. And so it's hard not to, um, gain confidence, gain rhythm and, um, you know, want to make those shots for those guys. Caleb, beyond just the shooting for everybody, even when the offense wasn't going great this season, what do you think you guys have built in terms of the way the offense actually runs that has set all of you up for, uh, for success really? I think, uh, you know, there's a lot of different moving parts. I mean, you know, you got, you know, Duncan was in and out, you know, all year you got Kyle that was starting out. He's come off the bench. There's a lot of different moving pieces. I just think the, the willingness for everybody to fit in, no matter where they're coming off the bench, starting, whatever it is, whether you're playing, whether you're not, um, it's really impressive all the way down the line for, you know, some people, you know, being in some lineups and moving around and shifting a lot. And you got Duncan who wasn't playing for a while and he comes in, he's been a huge, you know, in this postseason for us. It goes all the way down the line, man. Um, I just think that, like I said, it's just the willingness of guys to accept whatever, you know, it is that they need to do in order for us to, to move the needle. And I think that's been big for us. Um, you know, I think that we've gained that connectivity throughout the season, uh, to, and prepared us for these moments. Caleb, you've talked a lot this season about the way you've attacked closeouts, attacking the front foot and all that stuff, but what makes it, I guess, different with this series, the way you're doing it? Cause obviously there's different matchups. Yeah, I just think it's probably based off personnel and, um, you know, space on the court. Um, I understand I'm going to have some of the bigger guys on me, but they're going to be coming off help side and, you know, off Jimmy sometimes doubles. And, you know, um, I'm just trying to be aggressive and, you know, uh, take, take some weight off those guys, but, you know, just also be myself. And I, you know, when I'm, like I said, when we're confident and we go all the way down the line, you know, a lot of guys are capable of a lot of things. So, um, you know, it's only going to be beneficial when we, when we're all aggressive and assertive like that. Caleb, was this game, the perfect example of heat culture, you, Gabe Duncan, all stepping up as the top players of the game. Yeah, I think, uh, I mean, I think most importantly, I think it was, um, the fact how we handled, uh, you know, being up to all right now and then playing at home. Um, I think that we, you know, naturally sometimes you let off the gas, because, you know, you're at home, you try to rely on the crowd to win the game for you and, uh, scoring bunches, you know, feeding off the environment. But I think that we made a, made a point coming in, um, with the approach, with the right approach and mentality that, um, that they were going to come in and give everything they had and, um, and just weather, whatever storm they had coming. So we're just going to have to stay with the same mindset in game four. Going back to last year's conference finals, the heat went through a period of about 10 months of frustration and disappointments. And I know you're not quite done with this series yet, but is there something that is the most gratifying about the playoff success that you're enjoying now? I just think that we got the matchup we wanted, you know, we got to, um, see the team who took us out last year and, um, you just get a, you know, there's nothing like a second crack at it. So, um, we just, I think that we're just trying to take advantage of that. And, um, you know, we're playing with, like we have something to prove and we're just a bunch of guys with a chip on our shoulder. So we just want to continue to prove that Tatum and Brown were two of the top scorers in the league all year. What have y'all done, especially in these last two games, uh, just to be effective against them defensively? I just think that, you know, we're just playing really hard, trying to be in the right spots, trying to do everything we can to make it tough on those guys. Like you said, they're two of the best scores in the league. You know, they're bound to, to, to, you know, to score the ball and make things tough on us regardless of what coverage they see. Um, but I think that we just been, um, you know, being bought in on the defensive end and having each other's backs and believing in the game plan that spoke was in front of us. So, um, I think the biggest thing is just being on the same page. Hi. Um, so he's impressive journey has get a lot of attention and support recently. Um, how do you plan to handle the increased expectation, um, that come with such search attention? Uh, will it be a pressure? Yeah. Um, to me personally, I think that, you know, um, I think the best thing you could do is kind of just put it in a rear view. I mean, that, that comes with it, that, that, that type of stuff comes with it is going to be opinions, expectations, whatever it is. Um, I think we're playing for each other in that locker room. And I think that, um, cancels out all the pressures, you know, we believe in each other. We love playing with each other and we're flowing and playing great. And we're just having fun more than anything. So I think that kind of cancels out all the pressure because we're not worried about what everybody else is saying. We just worry about each other in the locker room. Caleb, I know the series isn't over yet, but as an AC, what does it feel like for you guys to be able to do this to the teams, the two teams that were considered the favorites coming into this playoffs? And what does it feel like to be able to pull that off? I mean, it feels good. I mean, like you said, that's part of, you know, it feels good obviously cause we're AC, but at the same time we put ourselves in that position, but, um, you know, we're not playing to prove, prove nobody wrong. We, we plan to win a championship. Like that's been the goal all season. You know, it's not like we're just trying to beat teams and you know, so we can, so we can talk, talk trash after we beat somebody or whatever. Like, you know, we, we, we know we're capable. We've expected, you know, we expected, uh, this team to in this group to get to where we're at right now and continue to go further. And we're going to continue to play like that and, um, um, you know, find ways to get to a place that we all were bought in and to want to get to at the beginning of the season this summer. So we plan for each other. Yep. Appreciate y'all.