Erik Spoelstra

The more that we've tried to think conventionally in terms of guys playing just a specific position, it restricted us a little bit.

When you work for Pat Riley, you're not just putting your hands on the basket and hanging out during practice. He puts you in positions where you have to coach. You have to be enthusiastic and fierce with your preparation and work ethic.

We're always trying to evolve and find more efficient ways, more fluent ways to evaluate our players, evaluate our opponent and evaluate our prospects.

I really find comfort in watching film and obtaining knowledge and I use statistics and computer generated stuff to help me get those stats. That was probably a result of my father's influence on me at a young age.

The reality is that luck does play a part of it. It does. Ultimately it's a make or miss league.

You obviously have to build a culture, a foundation. You must build the right talent however you do it. Then you have to build the systems and the habits.

You're all over the place usually with young players. You're trying to manage their emotions and teach them NBA situations. It usually takes months, even years, to learn and recognize NBA situations and then to develop a level of competitiveness that's necessary at this level.

Come on, if you lose, no one's going to be happy and nor should they be.

I'm going to demand. I'm going to push and prod. And a lot of times, players don't know what is needed for a team to break through.

A coach-player relationship in this league often will be confrontational at times. And other times, it's smooth sailing. But just the dynamic of the competitive nature of everybody, expectations, results - all these things combine, yeah, sometimes it will get testy. And that's good.

It's amazing how much things can get exaggerated.

It's really a shame for the coaching profession that it's so volatile.

When players come in and we talk to them about what it means to be a Miami Heat player, we point them at Udonis Haslem.

I have to be true to myself, and that's what I know for sure. I can't try to be anybody else.

I'm a stay-in-the-present momentist.

Basketball is a beautiful game and it's afforded all of us in this profession so many things. To give back any time we can is gratifying.

So much of this league is just about alignment. Who cares what you believe in, who cares what your culture is, can you get a group of people that are aligned?

Zones are easier just to throw out there and you don't have to really teach it.

I only knew that I didn't like the AAU culture. I knew that if I had a chance someday, that I would love to be able to, even if it was a small drop in a bucket, to be able to change the culture and be a part of a positive change.

When you're usually competing and contending, you're not relying on younger players to produce for you.

Dwyane is just sensational. Look, he has all the qualities of a champion, of a winner, of a Hall of Fame player and talent, but his humanity, empathy and his ability to articulate his feelings separates him from everybody else.

Obviously, I've been very fortunate to be able to work for a Hall of Famer, to be able to coach a lot of Hall of Famers.

Everybody overestimates what you can do in a day and underestimates what you can do in months of work.

Simplicity is often one of the greatest strengths.

It's not just about winning or losing, but to learn about teamwork, learn about sportsmanship, learn about discipline. The value of working together for a common goal. Have the emphasis on fundamentals, not just games.

If you want something badly enough, you'll figure it out.

I just hate this term of 'essential' staff, and 'non-essential' staff.

If you're a competitor, this is what you want. You want all of the games to have meaning, context and to be the best competition.

In my mind, this is an 'and,' it's not 'either' 'or' or 'but.' Yeah, you can feel a certain way about honoring the flag and the country, and feel that there needs to be some significant changes in the system, regarding racial inequalities.

The unified message in this fight against systemic racism and racial inequality is something that our entire Association is united to fight against.

The most important thing is there is a foundation and an accountability to a system.

You don't have to be humbled to be humble.

When things that normally work aren't working, you have to go to something else.

We're not above a Game 7. We're not above competition.

It's never easy to compete for a title.

It's a treasure to be part of a Game 7 against a worthy opponent.

Sometimes, you have a hunch and then you find numbers that substantiate that, it makes either the staff or the players say, 'OK, let's fix that.'

Yes, there's more access to film than when I first came into the league, but because of it there's a desire to see more and study more and cover more.

It is terrific to be involved with changing people's perceptions, and the world is changing.

This league does teach you that it's inevitable that there's constant change, and you always have to continue to embrace change, adapt with change.

I think what we focus on is every game is a different challenge, and you have to find ways to put yourself in position to win, and you have to have a resourcefulness, and it's not always going to go according to play.

When my grandfather was a journalist for the Detroit Tigers, he dressed the part. I mention it always to our local media: sport coat, tie, very professional and a nice cap on his head. And they also developed very close friendships with the players and staff traveling.

Some people might think they need to venture out on their own to create their own image. I do not have any of those kind of feelings.

South Floridians, we can relate to storms where you just brace and hold your breath and even when you're holding your breath you know the worst is coming.

When I was a player I'd black out and shoot for hours.

It's always easier to sacrifice when you're not the one who has to do it.

I hate this quality, but I can go to dark levels when we lose. It's not a panic attack, but there's anxiety. I'm inconsolable. I'm a train wreck. I'm being myself. Then I get this crazy, intense focus, where I get desperate not to be embarrassed again. That dark spot is what I tap into. Creativity comes from there.

You can't stay who you are... Things change and you have to be able to adapt.

I've never really been a barbecue guy.

It doesn't matter whether you're a former player or you come up through the video room, whether you come from college. You have to earn that trust from NBA players every day.