Just like in Game 1, the Boston Celtics felt they were in control. This time, however, they extended the lead all the way to 17 points in the second quarter, essentially getting whatever they wanted aggressively. And this time, the turnaround was faster and more extreme: the Miami Heat took a 20-4 lead in the third quarter and took a seven-point lead in the final frame.
And just like Game 1, Miami hosted the No. 3-seeded Celtics on Thursday, taking it completely out of rhythm with its combination of 2-3 zones and switching. The heat also melted under some full court pressure, and Boston would look like a totally different team from the start of the game.
To their credit, the Celtics responded at both ends after their cold snap. Miami missed 10 of its first 12 shots in the final frame, and Boston led 15-2. Once again, however, the heat remained firm, coming back with a 106-101 win and taking a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference final, largely thanks to the heroism of the game at the end of defender Goran Drazic.
With less than two minutes left, the Celtics were in near full defensive possession until Drazic hit a 3 f-the-dribble 3 over big man Daniel Thiss to give the Heat a 100-95 lead. Dredic, who helped keep the heat afloat in the opener of the series, hit another jumper over the thesis on the front possession. He finished with 10 points plus five assists in 10-for-19 shooting.
“Goran, you know, his defense is really good,” said Miami coach Eric Spolestra. “It’s really good, they can pinch you. And sometimes that’s just necessary. For some games you need to make something, and Goran was able to pull it off.”
Boston’s Jillian Brown hit a pair of clutch 3s, but missed one in the corner that left her with 15 seconds left.
Here are three takeaways of the game 2:
1. turn
It’s hard to explain how comfortable Boston felt on the offense in the first half, especially compared to Tuesday’s game end and the second round snail before it. The Heat are usually a tough and versatile defensive team, but Spolstra thought the Celtics “don’t feel us, pay attention to us,” he said. Miami was down 60-43 before the pair of short jumpers reduced the deficit to 13 points in the final minutes of the second quarter.
“It felt like we were down 30 years,” Spoilestra said.
It is difficult to overestimate the full effect of heat during the return. If I had been writing this takeaway before the start of the run, this would have been about the resurgence of a Kemba Vaker Kar, who danced around a 14-point heat defense in a 6-for-10 shooting in the first half. Two days ago, Waker Kare said he was “just playing terrible, to be honest,” as he was chilling out the B-Box-One coverage he had seen in the previous series.
Vaker Kar was almost invisible despite playing every second of it in the third quarter. As a team, Boston went 4-for-12 in those 12 minutes, and pushed seven turnovers into the heat.
Spoilstra said, “I know everyone wants to talk about the plan.” For us, it’s nature, it’s effort, it’s hard drama, it’s multiple attempts, regardless of the plan. And we were more committed there in the second half. “
It began with the ally-op dunk of Bam Adebayo, aided by Drake. Adebayo had 15 points in the third, the Celtics were just two in total, he shot 8-for-8, and Boston was soon punished as a Rollman on a number of consecutive assets during the tenure of Anne County. He was just as active at the other end, flying around the court with a few others his size.
“We split up and we didn’t play a good game,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said in the third quarter, insisting it’s not about the zone. He said the players were “emotional” after the defeat, but did not elaborate.
Oh.
2. Shootin ‘Robinson
A major development for Miami, which can be ignored because it does not coincide with the comeback: Duncan Robinson is going. The sharpshooter landed in Game 1 in just 1 minute due to a loot difficulty and went 2-for-7 from a deep hole, hard to free on the perimeter. In less than two minutes in Game 2, he hit back-to-back 3s, and he went ahead with a third shortly after.
Robinson is one of the most dangerous shooters in the NBA, as he lets fly at almost any angle, almost anywhere, with a ridiculously fast release. His movements away from the ball could have circled the defense, and on Thursday he ran out of screens with a purpose.
Spoilestra said, “His ways were very resolute.” Then he’s taking shots because they’re chasing him, he’s serious about our crime. And it opens up other things. It adds a little more variety to our menu. But yes, he was more aggressive without it. Ball. He was burning more calories for sure. “
Robinson, Dragick did what he did in the opener, helping the Heat spin when nothing else was going well. He scored 12 of his 18 points in the first quarter and finished the game with his six 3-pointers with four assists. Keeping it as a source of crime is an incredible luxury, and Boston will surely be able to use someone when it gets stuck in the mud. Which leads us to …
3. The Blazes of Boston
The Celtics knew this zone was coming before the series began. They knew that Adebayo posed difficulties in its ability to protect especially small players, and they knew that there was plenty of practice of 1-through-5 switching in the heat. How the crime stopped at the end of Game 1, Stevens didn’t like them, how they resorted to difficult isolation plays instead of playing their identity. But this was even worse.
“We’re not going to beat this team if we’re not fully connected on both sides of the court,” Stevens said. “So we’re back to being what we were at the time, but right now they’re a better team and we have to fight to get back into this series.”
I was really impressed with the Boston Invasion for most of Game 1.. Jason Tatum took a bunch of his patented side-step 3s and the Celtics were mostly equipped against this zone. In the first part of Game 2, with hot shooting, it continued.
As Game 2 progressed, Tatum fell into disrepair, and so did the crime, as if Miami had led the Celtics into a false sense of security. Diagnosing problems in an in-game interview, Stevens said he simply stopped playing.
In the second half Tatum and Marcus Smart teamed up for four turnovers, and Smart gave a number of inappropriate advice. Both teams went through wild fluctuations in terms of offensive fluidity and defensive intensity in the game, but in the case of Boston, this is a worrying trend that needs to be quickly reversed.
The Celtics have long struggled against both the Ronto Raptors and the playoffs. These are strong opponents who are changing their plans and combining physicality and athletics with high basketball and IQ. But Boston had the fourth-best offensive rating during the regular season in the NBA, and their biggest supposed strength is that they have multiple playmaking options, so the defenses won’t be able to advance in any of them.
This is where the Celtics feel the absence of Gordon Hayward, but using it as an excuse won’t help matters. Ahead of Game 3 on Saturday, they better hope Hayward is back and that’s the answer. If not, they need to take one more figure.
