Finals media day: Pop perspective, Wade knee, LeBron headband

June 19, 2013|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel

MIAMI —   For one final time, players and coaches at the NBA Finals were back to talking the talk on Wednesday afternoon, the final off-day media session of the series that concludes with Thursday's 9 p.m. winner-take-all Game 7 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

  A sampling of what was said:

  Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, on moving past his team's 103-100 Tuesday night Game 6 overtime loss: "That was a tough loss. But as long as we didn't play the game at midnight last night or eight this morning, we ought to have time to recover and be fine."

  Popovich, on Spurs guard Manu Ginobili using the term "devastating" to describe Tuesday's loss: "That's how a competitor feels. A competitor feels it deeply and really, really tough loss in that regard. And I expect Manu to feel like that after the game.
But he'll be fine."

  Popovich, on how hard it is for a road team to win a Game 7: "I don't really care what it's been like for anybody else at any time. All I know is we have had a hell of a year, and we have an opportunity to win a championship tomorrow night. That's all that matters."

  Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, on maintaining the perspective that work still remains: "We've been in Game 7s before, so we just try to stay in the moment. And today we had to take care of just a couple of things, do our media obligation, and then get ready for a deeper prep tomorrow."

  Spoelstra, on maintaining perspective after Tuesday: "Right now is just to take care of today. You can't let your mind drift. You can't start to think about any rewards. You have to think about the task. And that takes great discipline. It also takes experience of having to do it before."

  Spoelstra, on the Heat being outscored by 56 points this series when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are on the court together, but outscoring the Spurs by 46 when James is on the floor without Wade: "I don't really give a whole lot to those numbers. We're going as far as they take us, along with the other guys. You can't win this series or the last game with a statistic. You have to compete and win those battles on the court."

  Spoelstra, on where Wade stands with his balky right knee: "He's in a whatever¿it¿takes mode. And that's what this series is about, is the competition. It's not just statistics. It's not all the other storylines. It's about the competition against an equal opponent. And Dwyane thrives in those situations. Because he can impact it in so many different ways. Not just scoring, but the defense, impact plays, so forth. He'll be able to find a way to compete for one more game."

  Spoelstra, on why Wade wasn't out for the start of Tuesday's second half: "He just hit his knee on that collision with Ginobili I think in the second . . . end of the first quarter, and it just bothered him as he started to sit during halftime. So he was getting treatment, getting himself ready. I knew he was going to come back out. I just didn't know at what time."

   Heat guard Dwyane Wade, on what happened at halftime: "Early in the game I took a good shot right on my left knee, and that's the knee I had surgery on.  That kind of trauma to it at that moment it just swelled up.  At halftime I was trying to do as much as I can, treatment.  I needed a certain amount of time.  So I told them to make sure they start Ray in that quarter. It was stiff.  I couldn't do as much as I wanted to.  I just tried to do whatever I could."

  Spoelstra, on going without Udonis Haslem and Norris Cole in Game 6: "It's just what that game called for. Next game could be different, depending on how the game is played, foul situation, that type of thing. We just thought it would be best for that game.

   Heat forward LeBron James, on Game 7 and the pressure on him: "It is what it is.  I understand the moment for me.  I've been pretty relaxed, though.  I've been pretty relaxed throughout the playoffs.  I'm going to be antsy, I'm going to be excited.  I'm going to have some butterflies.  I'll be nervous.  Everything.  That's how I should be. The moment is going to be grand.  Like I said, I'm happy to be a part of it."

   James, on the longest he previously played without a headband, after closing Game 6 without one: "My rookie year preseason.  I started the preseason off not playing . . . I think we were in Detroit in my rookie year.  I didn't play too well.  I didn't like it."

   James, on whether he will return to the headband for Game 7: "I'll probably start off with it, man.  A little superstitious.  If it gets knocked off, then me and him will have a discussion if he will return."

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