00:00No one had a more stressful Saturday night.
00:04And I'm including Ira and Sherry Winderman, who are giving their child away to marriage.
00:12Jake Winderman, Lindsay Winderman, all the people involved in the wedding.
00:18None of them had as stressful a Saturday night as our own Alejandro Solana.
00:24So Solana goes to the Eric Spolstra press conference before the game, and he is armed with stats, old package
00:36of stats.
00:37And one of the stats I think Solana had sent it to us was that you remember they had been
00:44just, you know, revisiting the third quarter of old.
00:47They were losing third quarters and Spoh had kind of mentioned it.
00:51And Solana had pointed out to us, it was either on Friday or Saturday, that the Heat had won 14,
00:59was it 14 third quarters in a row since Spoh mentioned it?
01:02It's not that they had won.
01:03And by the way, Hawk, no joke, I've been tracking this.
01:06I know.
01:07You've been tweeting it.
01:08Yeah.
01:09After the game in Boston, Spoh and the Heat, literally, they got blown out.
01:13They were up 20 points.
01:15And they got blown out in the third and they lost the game.
01:18They were up 20.
01:20Spoh directed a message to Heat Nation.
01:22After the game, he said, Heat Nation, Heat fans, we hear you.
01:26We're going to get better.
01:27So, like, the coach acknowledged that the fan base...
01:30We're going to get better in the third quarter.
01:32In the third quarter.
01:34Specifically, they had one of the worst net ratings in the NBA in the third.
01:37Hawk, it's not that they had won 14 straight, but they hadn't lost.
01:41Hadn't lost.
01:42A third quarter.
01:44A third quarter.
01:44In 14 consecutive games.
01:46They had won 12.
01:47They had tied two of them.
01:49But substantially better.
01:51Right.
01:51Since he mentioned it.
01:53Right.
01:53And Solana's been tracking it.
01:55So, now, it's before the game on Saturday.
01:58And Solana decides, well, I'm going to bring that up to coach.
02:02And Spoh, he's not having it.
02:04He doesn't.
02:05Which, by the way, this is going up to a pitcher, throwing a no-hitter, and saying,
02:09hey, do you know you have a no-hitter going?
02:11Like, it's kind of an unwritten rule that you don't do this.
02:15Solana's doing it before the game.
02:17And Spoh's like, no, sir.
02:21No, sir.
02:23No bleeping way.
02:24Here's the back and forth.
02:27After the game, you said, we're going to fix our third quarter issues.
02:31It's been 14 consecutive games.
02:33You don't drop a third quarter.
02:35Did something change?
02:37Don't.
02:37What kind of question is that?
02:39You did not do that.
02:42You know, it started just with intention.
02:45You know, our group is very intentional about trying to improve, you know, the things.
02:51I think a bigger thing is there's been more consistency throughout our rotation,
02:57both offensively and defensively.
02:59Not just the third quarter.
03:00But we're getting to our game, you know, more consistently.
03:06You know, our defense, you know, throughout the rotation has been getting better.
03:11Guys are gaining a lot more confidence, you know, with that.
03:13And then, for sure, the offense.
03:15You know, the guys are a lot more comfortable, you know, what we're trying to do.
03:18And then, you know, that X factor of confidence, you know, which one of our guys, you know, exploding with
03:27that confidence, you know, at this time of year.
03:30Play just the beginning of it again, Solana, because I love Spoh just going, don't.
03:36Why would you even ask that?
03:38I love that.
03:39Play that just the beginning again, if you can.
03:40In Boston a month ago, after the game, you said, we're going to fix our third quarter issues.
03:46It's been 14 consecutive games.
03:48You don't drop a third quarter.
03:50Did something change?
03:52What kind of question is that?
03:55Yeah, that's funny.
03:57That's great, man.
03:59That point, that point, man.
04:03Look at the eyes.
04:05I was scared.
04:05Now, I mean, imagine what's going to happen here if Saturday night they end up losing the third quarter, which,
04:12by the way, like, bring this up in a game against Washington.
04:16Don't, like, pick your battle.
04:18He picked the Orlando game, which they cannot beat Orlando.
04:21They're 0-27 against Orlando this season.
04:26But they don't lose the third quarter.
04:29They win it.
04:30They do not lose the third quarter.
04:33And Solana, you had to have watched that quarter like you had $100,000 on it.
04:39Jax and Amy kept looking over at me.
04:41I was dressed, man.
04:43And there was a point where the Heat, they go up, like, eight in the quarter, right?
04:48So they're still down in the game.
04:50But Norm hits a three.
04:51They cut it to nine-point deficit.
04:53You don't even care about the game.
04:54You don't even care about the game.
04:55All you care about is the third quarter.
04:57In fact, I was kind of happy they got blown out in the first half.
05:01Because no matter what, the third quarter wouldn't be their downfall at the very end.
05:04Right, right.
05:05So I texted Tobin, at least they can't blow it in the third.
05:09But Norm cuts it to a nine-point deficit.
05:12I'm like, oh, my God, there's a minute left.
05:13The Heat are going to run away with this third.
05:15And Orlando closes on, like, a 6-0 run.
05:17I'm like, what are you doing?
05:20What?
05:21They end up winning the quarter by one.
05:24By one.
05:25That's funny.
05:26Which, by the way, 15 consecutive third quarters.
05:31You have to ask him.
05:33You have to ask him.
05:36You know what's funny?
05:37Because I always say, like, superstition and all that stuff doesn't mean anything.
05:42And Spohy didn't even want you to finish the question.
05:45I'm telling you, that's like asking the pitcher, do you know you're pitching a no-hitter?
05:49There's just certain things you don't bring up.
05:51It is.
05:52Hawk, you are 100% correct.
05:54But here's why I asked the question.
05:57It's been 14 games already.
06:00And that was a major issue throughout the entire regular season.
06:04And nobody's asked Coach Spohy.
06:06Hey, what changed?
06:07Maybe after a game instead of before a game.
06:10Because then you can't be accused of mushing.
06:12Like, it'll be at least 24 hours.
06:14But here's the problem.
06:15You're 100% right.
06:16But here's the problem.
06:17I can't go to the post-game press conference.
06:19Because, and normally, I get to go to practices or shoot-arounds.
06:25Well, they don't do shoot-arounds anymore.
06:26And they haven't been practicing because of all the games that they've been having.
06:30So I haven't talked to Spohy outside of a pre-game press conference in months.
06:35So I'm like, F this.
06:37Nobody's going to ask about the third quarter?
06:38Fine.
06:39I'll be the bad guy.
06:41After 14 consecutive third quarters, when they had one of the worst net ratings in the third,
06:45and nobody's asked about this, like, hey, Ira, forget about your son's wedding.
06:50Let's go figure it out.
06:51Alana walked up to the craps table like, whoa, we got a hell of a roll going on here.
06:56I'll buy all the numbers.
07:00You dummy.
07:03Don't.
07:05You won't roll seven.
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