Spoelstra highlights second-half defensive adjustments, offensive flow, and crucial rebounding as keys to the Heat's dominant road win.
On the second-half defense holding Maxey in check after a tough first half:
“He’s such a dynamic player – crazy cover. You have to pick him up at 28 feet, he’s electrifyingly fast, they do all the handoffs and perimeter screens, he plays with pace. I thought the point-of-attack defense with D-Mitch and Drew at least gave us a chance. Our weak-side defense was really active – Bam had that surprise trap at the end. You have to have all those things for a star player. Our second half was our best half defensively. With the rebounding, Bam and Kel were monsters on the glass – each in their own way. Just a good solid two games on the road.”
On the team repeatedly answering Philly’s pushes and keeping the lead:
“We were talking about these swing moments all the time – these skirmishes throughout the game are going to happen. When they got it to five or six we would come back, settle in after a timeout, and push it right back to ten. You want to see that kind of progress. The guys were really sharing the ball – it was a fun game offensively, a lot of guys attacking. A lot of contributions. Pel’s probably thinking about his six missed threes or two missed free throws, but all we’re thinking about is the winning basketball he was playing. Just a solid win.”
On Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware:
“It gives us so much confidence. How fun was Kel in that second quarter rebounding everything offensively, putting it back, playing with so much more force than a year ago at this time? He’s gaining confidence – I don’t want to put a ceiling on him. Both those guys understand how important rebounding is for us. When they rebound like that against Drummond and their crash guys, it makes everything a whole lot easier.”
On the successful 2-0 road trip and sitting third in the East:
“We took it to heart that we’d only won two road games before this trip. Wanted a good collective response. We get to go back home and play again tomorrow night – looking forward to it. These are little mini times during the season we don’t want to over-celebrate but we do want to acknowledge. Nobody two months ago thought we’d be sitting third in the East. It’s not everything, but it’s something. Want our guys to enjoy it at least for a few minutes and the flight home, then lock in for another one tomorrow night.”
On the bench mood when Pelle Larsson keeps taking shots to the face:
“I’d love it. I want somebody to chart how many times he gets hit in the face per game – it’s got to be number one in the league. He puts himself out there, does so many winning things. He’s a tough player. We love what he’s doing.”