Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra praised the leadership of Jimmy Butler & Bam Adebayo after Friday’s 111-105 Game 2 road win vs. the Boston Celtics.
(via Bally Sports Sun):
Ira Winderman: “I know clutch games is the familiar theme of the season, you’ve told us all along how those moments help prepare for these moments. Can you talk about the team’s poise and moxie down the stretch and getting it done to go up 2-0?”
Spoelstra: “I think probably all those games, more than anything, it just makes you realize how tough it is. It really is tough to win. It’s even tougher to win in the playoffs, and then you’re playing against a very good basketball team in Boston. We’ve just had a lot of reps on learning how to deal with a lot of different emotions. I mean, there were so many different ebbs and flows of that game, but you start to wrap your mind around that it’s going to be a long game, 48 minutes, and you’ve got to win skirmishes. We had to battle through deficits in both halves, but we showed that grit and perseverance to be able to hang in there and then make some plays. Defensively, in the second quarter we were really good to get back in the game, and then same thing in the second half. And then Jimmy and Bam just really anchored us offensively. It’s great when your two best players can lead you and you have a place where the ball can go, and everybody else is just playing off of those guys. But they also hit some very timely, big shots in that fourth quarter.”
