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1. There’s one thing about Boston Celtics and Miami Heat video games. Since LeBron James went to Miami in 2010, they’ve been a constant thorn in Boston’s facet. The 2 have waged numerous nice common season video games, and a few unbelievable playoff sequence.
This recreation was one other prime instance. After the Celtics dealt with the Warmth within the first recreation of the two-game mini-series, you knew the second wouldn’t be straightforward. Miami desires to muck up the sport and make it a messy rock combat. Boston performed proper into their fingers, for probably the most half. The taking pictures/scoring was higher than among the 90-89 sorts of video games we’ve seen between these two, however the recreation was messy.
The Warmth play with lively fingers and so they’re extraordinarily bodily. That led to Miami forcing 20 turnovers from Boston. Effectively… “forcing” is likely to be extra apt. The Celtics had a minimum of eight unforced turnovers there they both threw the ball away with out stress or just misplaced it. Nonetheless, 20 is a big quantity. When you might take away the video games vs the Warmth, Boston would lead the NBA with below 13 turnovers per recreation.
The Celtics additionally acquired an uncharacteristically unhealthy recreation from Jayson Tatum. It wasn’t simply that Tatum shot poorly, however his decision-making wasn’t good both. We’ll cowl one play that stood out later.
Lastly, Boston missed seven free throws. That’s in contrast to the Celtics, who lead the NBA in free throw share this season.
And, but, regardless of all of that, it took additional time for Boston to lose their fifth recreation, and simply their second dwelling recreation. Let’s check out among the greatest performs in a troublesome loss.
2. Within the third quarter, the Celtics constructed a 13-point lead. Miami chipped away, however when Sam Hauser hit a driving layup early within the fourth, Boston was nonetheless up by eight factors.
The Warmth then hit the Celtics with a 13-0 run over the following two-and-a-half minutes. This drive by Marcus Good, after a timeout, lastly snapped that Miami run:
3. Boston did a fairly good job of discovering Tyler Herro late within the recreation. They attacked him sufficient that Erik Spoelstra needed to go offense-defense and take Herro off the ground on a number of late possessions. Jaylen Brown had explicit success bullying by Herro like he does right here:
4. This play woke the gang again up and acquired them rocking. As an alternative of coming out to assault Tyler Herro one-on-one, Jayson Tatum slipped this display. Marcus Good delivered a pleasant move for the loud end:
5. Grant Williams made some monster performs down the stretch of regulation. This play begins with good ball motion and motion on the left facet of the ground. Williams doesn’t keep rooted to the alternative nook although. As quickly as Al Horford drives out of the left nook, Williams again cuts Kyle Lowry from the proper nook. Good move by Horford to reward Williams for the good reduce:
Williams’ confidence in his shot is off the charts this season, and deservedly so. This can be a good kickout move by Marcus Good. Williams then hits Miami with the pass-fake and side-steps right into a triple:
6. After buying and selling a few hoops and a giant Jimmy Butler shot (we’ll come again to him once more later), the Celtics had been in desperation mode. Jaylen Brown, as he did all evening, delivered the heroics:
7. Initially of additional time, Marcus Good taketh away from the Warmth with this ridiculous steal:
After which a mere 15 seconds later, Marcus Good giveth again with this shot that wasn’t good in any respect:
What made that not a very good shot? Good was limping after the steal. He didn’t actually have the legs to get into that jumper. We love and belief Good. Him taking a wide-open jumper is nearly at all times fantastic. In that spot, given he was hurting, Good might have discovered a greater play.
8. Boston solely scored six factors in additional time, together with hitting simply two pictures. Jayson Tatum had a putback and Jaylen Brown knocked this one down. Brown’s legs needed to be jelly by this level, however he’s nonetheless cash with the pullup jumper:
9. In the long run, Jimmy Butler made performs and Jayson Tatum didn’t. It’s not likely that straightforward, in fact. It by no means is. Basketball is a 48-minute, or on this case 53-minute, recreation. However typically there’s a sequence the place one man will get it executed and the opposite man doesn’t.
Enjoying drop protection on a Butler-Bam Adebayo pick-and-roll isn’t the worst thought. You simply can’t get too deep within the drop. Al Horford will get about two steps too low right here and Butler knocks down the pullup to offer Miami the lead:
After Jaylen Brown and Bam Adebayo traded free throws, the Celtics had been making an attempt to go 2-for-1 right here. That technique labored to finish regulation, however for it to work once more the primary a part of the 2-for-1 equation has to function a very good shot. This take from Tatum was a bit rushed. It was nearly like Tatum didn’t look forward to finding himself fairly this open and hurried his launch:
After getting a bit of messy following the rebound, Erik Spoelstra known as timeout to set a play for Miami. The entire health club knew Butler was going to get the ball. Horford is throughout him on the swap. This is only one man making a shot the place the opposite man didn’t:
10. Just one crew this season has received each side of one in all these mini-series. A break up is quite common since they grew to become a issues two seasons in the past. Except it’s a extreme mismatch, it’s arduous to be a crew twice in a row. Playoff sequence typically present us the very same factor.
It’s not nice that Boston has had a bit of hassle closing video games, as three of their losses have are available additional time this yr. However it’s fairly nice that the Celtics are 18-5 and it took additional time for 3 of these losses to occur.
Except this loss spirals right into a dropping streak, it’s not a giant deal. Jimmy Butler made some pictures, Jayson Tatum didn’t. Tatum, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White mixed to shoot 10-of-33 from the sphere. That’s not going to occur fairly often. Nor are the Celtics going to overlook seven free throws. And the turnover points, minus video games in opposition to the Warmth, appear to be cleaned up.
So, it’s a loss. A tricky loss even. However all the pieces is ok. The Celtics nonetheless have one of the best report within the NBA and are nonetheless up two video games within the Japanese Convention.
Nevertheless, it will be significant that Boston places this one behind them and rapidly. They now begin a two-week, six-game highway journey. It begins out on the east coast with a recreation on the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
This journey will inform us so much about who the Celtics are. Are they a very good crew that had an amazing begin to the season? Or are the Celtics an amazing crew? Six video games in opposition to potential playoff groups, all on the highway, might give us the reply to that query.
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