POSTGAME REACTION: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors, 1/17/24.

POSTGAME REACTION: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors, 1/17/24.

Um I can’t uh I can’t say I would have predicted that uh from our prep this morning or arriving uh to the arena um at just happened it was an avalanche at the beginning of the game our starters definitely did not set the tone for the

Game um and then it just proceeded to get worse uh as that first half went on um I could go across the board in terms of disposition uh glitches um attention to detail and then finishing plays we just we didn’t have any of that kind of spirit that we’ve shown you know

The last three games so second half uh you know then it has to everything has to go right for you there were a lot of things that were uh better you know in terms of uh the on ball defense uh it was more of a commitment um you know to take that

Challenge uh we got to 13 and then um made a couple mistakes that led to threes and then it just it went to 20 from there U once we got it 13 we had a chance I just felt that we needed to get it to single digits um and you know the

Three that we gave up um on mostly a contained Drive uh that went to Trent that that gave him that life to finish it off that first half how much was ball contained yeah I mean I think I was talking about it at the beginning um you know the our transition defense we’ve

Really been focusing on that um and our point of attack defense um those two areas we’ve been focusing on and we’ve been making some progress with that um tonight it would be tough to to notice that that we made any progress that was probably our worst game in both areas

Tonight the three-point shooting I mean there have been points of season when it’s been Lights Out near the top of the league is there anything that’s a common element from the last two games especially the starts before missing is it the kind of shots you’re getting is there something about the type of

Three-point shots that we’re seeing this no that that’s very low on my uh list of priorities I thought we got some good clean looks um actually to start both games uh and our game does not need to be dependent on whether we make threes or or not to be able to uh

Defend coach uh sorry a a question not not related to uh to the game if you allow me uh is there or there has been any any European coach that you learn from or that that inspired you uh when in your career uh yeah uh

Pesich uh he was a coach U of Al Berlin when I was in Germany playing um and we played against his uh uh his teams and I I was a fan of his uh then um I’m still a fan of his and deep respect for him now okay

Thanks what is the biggest challenge as it felt like almost a repeat of Monday when the defense just just isn’t where you wanted to be until the third quarter yeah I think uh I honestly you know I think Monday we really had a good defensive first we couldn’t score right

In in the first half um uh the Monday’s game and I think tonight it was kind of a little bit of the same thing um we couldn’t score and uh could not get tip your hat to those guys cuz they shot the heck out of the ball I think they shot

Made 11 threes 12 threes in the first half they play with Pace um you know they play with energy tonight um for us we got to find a way to kind of you know get our Pace going a little bit earlier in the game and in our defensive uh

Intensity going from the jump what changed for you so in the third it was a little bit different I think we just figured out like we got to play harder I mean it’s it’s like one of those things like a cliche but like we we literally

Just came out play a little bit harder got a little been more physical um and we just like we were more aggressive we were the more aggressive assertive team seven games over 500 mid-season not a bad place to be but what are your thoughts on where the team is right now

At the midpoint of the season honestly I is kind of crazy because we have had I think suppos said 15 different players start um 22 different starting lineups so it’s kind of like hard to want to say all right we’re here or we’re not here we haven’t had our three guys play

Together in what I don’t know how many how many 10 games totals and that’s it’s not a lot of uh repetition together but you know even though they’ve been together for the whole you know last what five six years um but every year everyone’s getting better getting

Different you know so it’s challenges in trying to figure out you know how to make sure that we get those guys going they’ve only had 10 games together but they’re pro professional enough that we’ll figure it out so I don’t know where we are we’re we’re we’re a hard playing

Team Jimmy early on what was the hardest thing to respond to as they were just making shot after shot just that uh they were making shot after shot but I mean we didn’t really make a miss and then we weren’t making shots so it’s it’s always

Tough and when you dig yourself a hole like that with the with the squad that can score the ball as well as they can the game gets ugly very quickly the redeeming value of your group is you’re always going to find some period of the game to settle down look like the third

You’re able to get both things going but just the holees too deep yeah um you don’t never want to be playing from behind let alone that far behind but um I mean you can say that the the the one bright spot throughout the entire game was the third quarter but then outside

Of that it was uh it was very ugly you guys are seven games over 500 in mid-season which is not a bad place to be but you’ve had so much in and out and moving part sort of how do you or can you assess where the TEAM stands in

Mid-season be cool um obviously we can be better but we’d rather be seven games over 500 than seven games under 500 so we’ll be just fine even being in the play play in realm is that a concern you see how packed it is right in that

Middle of the East there you can go from four to eight my brother love always is that is that concerning because now there is that cut off at 6 where it used to be at 8 you know for the playoffs so being in that playing range is that a

Concern ain’t that been the last couple years though oh oh okay um nah I’m not I’m not too worried about we there’s still time for us to get six and above I don’t know what we are right now but there’s a plenty of games left

Um we got some really good teams that we got coming up so we just got to show that we can compete and that we belong at the top of this thing so that’s where we’re at do you uh focus on when a team is shooting as well as Toronto did early

In that you’re trying to make shots because you want to match them but you’re also trying to make their shots more difficult at the same time uh yeah just trying to make things uh difficult for them obviously ly they didn’t feel this enough on you know that side of the

Ball um you know they got comfortable and then they from there they got confident and then they weren’t missing shots and then you like you said you try to match the shots but um it really starts on defense um you know our defense leads to good offense um and I

Thought we saw that last game in the second half when we started getting stops we were able to turn that in offense so that really was the key of the third quarter was trying to get some of that going and just chop up into that massive hole as much as you could yeah

Just um you know trying to claw back into it I think we got it to 13 at one point um but we just couldn’t you know get enough stops at the end how much of the defensive issues in the first half kind of start with the ball containment

And on ball defense uh yeah I think it you know it starts with you know on Ball but then also off the ball guys being active and and their shring spots and their help positions not allowing their guys to see open elbows open lanes to

Drive um and I thought we did a good job of that last game but it just didn’t carry over to tonight you came into the week one of the best three-point percentage teams in the league and then the last two games happened was it the

Shot quality was it just being off it it was so dramatic the last two games especially the first half what was different about that than the run you guys were on as a team uh I don’t I don’t really I can’t explain misses and makes um that just

Comes with the game of basketball you make shots you miss shots we could I’m not even going to get into it it just it happens he guys seven games over 500 at the midpoint of the Season 41 games down 41 to go how do you assess where does your team stand in mid-season

Uh I think we we know what we’re capable of we know what we need to do I think at this point it’s just about being consistent and um bringing the right mindset and the right effort and night in and Night Out appreciate it

The Miami Heat fell to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Hear from coach Erik Spoelstra, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and Tyler Herro on the defeat. 🎙

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