Down 3-1, Heat have one goal - 'Get this thing back to Miami' - ESPN
ESPN MIAMI -- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra remained both confident about his team's chances and defiant that his group would respond following a 108-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. Despite the fact that his team is now down 3-1 and facing a must-win Game 5 on Monday night in Denver, Spoelstra remained steadfast in the belief that his team was "built for this" and would respond the same way they have so many times throughout the postseason in the wake of adverse circumstances.
"I told the guys, feel whatever you want to feel tonight," Spoelstra said. "It's fine. You probably shouldn't sleep tonight any amount of time. I don't think anybody will. We have an incredibly competitive group. We've done everything the hard way, and that's the way it's going to have to be done right now, again. All we are going to focus on is getting this thing back to the 305. Get this thing back to Miami. And things can shift very quickly."
The Heat became just the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to advance to The Finals after defeating the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, but now they face a similar fate that the New York Knicks, who were the first No. 8 seed to make The Finals, but ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. The reason Spoelstra remains so buoyed in his conviction is because he has watched his tough-minded group continue to find ways to win no matter what adversity they've faced.
