Cleveland Cavaliers fall to Miami Heat: Postgame quotes and reactions

The Cleveland Cavaliers left Quicken Loans Arena for the final time this season with a bad taste in their mouths. Kyrie Irving had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but Norris Cole played great defense and stuffed his shot. Here's some quotes.

Byron Scott:

Coach Scott talked about the last play of the game. He even explained why they didn't run a pick and roll or something rather than a simple isolation with Kyrie!

"Just wanted to get the ball in Ky's hands, put him in the middle of the floor. We didn't want to run the pick and roll because I know what they are going to do. They are going to trap him. So, (Kyrie) up against Norris was a good matchup and we will see what happens. Like I said, Norris made a great play."

He said that the defensive effort was okay. I'd tend to agree. The Heat just made some really tough threes.

"You give them any room, they're going to shoot threes. They made eight in the first half and five in the second half. We wanted to see if we could cut that number to about nine, less than ten. Didn't get it done from that standpoint. They hit a few tough ones. Overall, I thought our defense was okay, could've been better."

And finally, he talked about patience, potential, and hope.

"Just be patient. The guys are on the right track. A tough season for all of us and all that happened, but we feel we are still on the right track. Kyrie is still developing to be one of the best point guards. Tristan Thompson is definitely developing into a young power forward in this league. Dion, I think we all saw this year, that he can be pretty dynamic at times and he still has a long way to go and some growth."

Kyrie Irving:

The Cavs' star talked about winning the last game of the season.

"It's really important for us to compete as a group for the remainder of the season. It's the last game of the season and we just have to go out with a bang. It's another chance for us to play the game that we love before we go on a long break."

And he also showed some appreciation for the fans.

"They were awesome all season. The support was a lot better than last season and we're thankful for that. I know that their support is going to continue to grow, especially in the Cavalier and Cleveland community. I'm really thankful for that."

Oh and he finally voiced his public support for Coach Scott:

Kyrie Irving asked if he wants Byron Scott back: "Absolutely, I do want coach Scott back.''

— M.S. Boyer/J. Valade (@PDcavsinsider) April 16, 2013

Tristan Thompson:

Tristan, my favorite Cavalier, also voiced his appreciation for the support of the fans.

"We appreciate them sticking by us through an up and down year. We had tough breaks, but we're all working hard and we want to continue to get better. This summer we're going to look back and reflect on the season and come back a better team."

You can read all of the postgame quotes over at Cavs.com.