5 Post-Practice Comments from Miami Heat in Orlando

After the Miami Heat arrived to Orlando on Wednesday, they needed to quarantine before returning to practice. Today, they returned to practicing for the first time since early March.

Here’s some takeaways from interviews with the team…

Miami Heat in Orlando Post-Practice Comment 1:

Spoelstra: "I've never seen a team move as fast as this team moved to get to the gym."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) July 10, 2020

Miami Heat practice in Orlando, and basketball is back. And it seems as if the players are just as excited as the fans are. Erik Spoelstra mentions that he’s “never seen a team move as fast as this team” on their way to get to the gym this afternoon. He also talks about the teams excitement on the court, discussing such things as each others hairstyles. Coach Spoelstra says “You can feel an incredible genuine sense of enthusiasm.” Like many people have mentioned about this Heat team, they enjoy being around each other, which means this bubble situation helps this Heat team.

Post-Practice Comment 2:

Haslem says he's reaching out to everyone on the team "to make sure we are stable and locked in."

"I told guys today, it's time to work. My voice was very, very loud today."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) July 10, 2020

This team is full of many vocal leaders on and off the court. But there’s no one better than Miami’s own Udonis Haslem. He says he was very vocal today in their first day back, and told the guys today “it’s time to work.” And the thing is about this team, we know they all were ready to work. He also uses the words “locked in,” which he means in a couple different ways. He says during the interview that he is only going to keep to his team during his time in the bubble, even with the history of him and LeBron James. This team is indeed locked in and ready.

Post-Practice Comment 3:

Spoelstra: "Our depth is going to be a factor."

He says he will go deeper into the rotation during the scrimmages and regular season games.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) July 10, 2020

While there has been a lot of speculation about this unique postseason, Spoelstra says he will use these scrimmage and regular season games to figure out his lineup. He once again says, “Our depth is going to be a factor,” which has been one of the many advantages for the Miami Heat heading into the playoffs. Even Udonis Haslem says he’s ready to go out their and play if Coach Spoelstra looks his way. Spoelstra also mentions that they will not prepare any differently for this postseason than they would for a traditional playoffs. He says “We will prepare the way a typical Miami Heat team would.”

Post-Practice Comment 4:

Dragic said his body responded well today.

"Tomorrow with contact, that's going to be interesting."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) July 10, 2020

Goran Dragic says he felt good today during the first team practice in about four months. But he says it’ll be interesting to see how he feels once they do full contact drills starting tomorrow. It was also told that Meyers Leonard was a “full go” and “he’s moving great.” The team’s health is looking pretty promising according to the coaches and players, which will end up being a major factor once teams work their way back in to 100%.

Post-Practice Comment 5:

Udonis Haslem on Jamal Crawford replacing him as the oldest guy in the NBA:

"I'm still the sexiest guy in the league, so it's all good."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) July 10, 2020

And of course the money quote. Udonis Haslem discusses Jamal Crawford getting signed and replacing him as oldest in the league. He replies with “I’m still the sexiest guy in the league.” Seems like Udonis Haslem is in good spirits upon the NBA’s return and is ready to prepare his guys for a postseason run.