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Around the Heat Locker Room

Riles Walks the Eastern Conference Trophy To the Locker Room (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant)

Into the mind of Pat Riley after Game 6…

• Can you talk just a little bit about what was going through your mind as that last minute was ticking down?

Finish. I’m always about just finishing and completing the task. You know, four, five minutes left to go in the game with a 17 or 18 point lead, a genuine feeling and sensation that you’re going to get this done. It’s always for me a harrowing ride because you just don’t know what land mines or trap doors are going to open up along the way. But our guys came tonight and put the hammer down, period. That’s it.

Detroit is an absolute great team. They’ve been the stronghold in the East for the last four years. They’ve been our nemesis the last three years, and in order for us to beat them they were going to have to put the hammer down, and that’s what it was going to take. Our guys came out defensively and did that.

• This team has so many story lines that sometimes we forget what a great human story Alonzo Mourning’s story is. Could you tell us if you’ve talked to him or what have you felt from him or said to him?

Zo and I don’t have to speak about that anymore. Zo and I are fused at the hip. He’s the one that dragged me up out of my seat when I couldn’t say something to the team at a very difficult time.

I know why he’s here, he knows why I’m here, and I just I just want him to get to experience a championship. I mean, that would be 35 years old, 36 years old, these guys that haven’t done it, that would be the greatest gift for me. It would. I mean, I’m just an old codger now, I mean it. The most important there’s a lot of guys in that locker room, a lot of stories in that locker room, and they’re very motivated about this opportunity.

D-Wade Relaxes After a Long Game (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Into the mind of Dwyane Wade after Game 6…

• Dwyane, could you take us through last night? When did you start feeling sick? What time did you go to the hospital?

About 3:00 in the morning, but I probably went to the hospital more around 8:00. I think you’ll save the rest of that for Sunday conversation.

• You want to talk about J.W.’s play tonight playing the supporting cast for you?

Oh, man, hats off to my teammates. He did a great job. Jason Williams did an unbelievable job tonight hitting 10 out of 12 shots. Not having the best series and really coming out when we needed him stepping up. I seen it from the get go. I knew Udonis was going to be ready, Antoine played great, James. On and on, Gary and Alonzo, they really wanted it. We rode Shaq when other guys weren’t doing nothing, and I had a chance to come in and put my little two cents in with the team, I do that as much as possible. But they did it tonight, so I’m proud of them guys.

Jason Williams Runs Down Court After Hitting a 3 (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)

Into the mind of Jason Williams after Game 6…

• Jason, did you have a feeling coming into the game that you were going to have a strong night shooting and just a kind of strong all around game?

I feel like that every night. I feel like all my shots are going to go down. Just this series they haven’t been going down. The guys have been on my back, stay aggressive and they’re going to fall, and tonight they did.

• Is this the best night of your professional career, other than the draft?

Oh, man. I had my two kids when I was in the NBA, so that’s the best two nights of my professional career right there, but this ranks right up there. Like I said, we’ve still got work to do. We’ve still got to start Sunday at practice and get ready for the next series.

• When you think back at all the questioning people did about the makeup of this team, can you describe how the team came together during the playoff run?

I don’t think we came together during the playoff run; I think we came together throughout the whole season. We had injuries and you guys doubting us, saying we couldn’t come together as a team and Pat never let us listen to you guys and never let us believe that. We took it one game at a time and do what we got to do.

• Coach Riley has said that he felt your team really jelled during the playoffs. How did you see that?

I think that’s pretty accurate. Pat is a great guy to play for, especially if you’re a veteran team like we are. He knows how to control us and how to practice us and argue a little bit together or amongst one another. Like I said, we’ve got to take it one game at a time, and the sky is the limit.

Continued tomorrow.

[NBA.COM]