The Miami Heat sped up the Indiana pacers, shocked the Milwaukee Bucks and, in the opening game of the Eastern Conference final, rushed against the Boston Celtics. Miami started the series at the wrong end of the 8-0 run and made it to the series by 13 points in the first quarter, seeing them completely dembobulate on offense. She hung around, and in the end, escaped with a 117-114 win in overtime after a clutch game from Jimmy Butler and an incredible block by Bam Adebayo.
Butler attacked the basket against Jason Tatum and scored on his outstretched arms, earning the wrong amount in the process and giving Miami a two-point lead with 12 seconds left. On the next possession, Tatum ran in front of Butler and went to make a sound, but Adebayo found him on the rim and turned the ball over. Tatum then missed a frustrated 3-pointer on Butzer.
With 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Butler hit 3 corners to give the Heat a one-point lead, but, after the deadline, before it was entered by the Celtics, Derrick Jones Jr. gave bad advice on the ball. In overtime, Bambler and Adebayo saved the day for Miami with 23.2 seconds left before Kemba Vaker hit the stepback jumper.
Butler finished with 20 points in 7-for-14 shooting, but the most important offensive player of the hit was Goran Dredic, who scored 29 points in 11-for-19 shooting. Miami outscored Boston 35-35 in the final frame and 11-8 in overtime.
Tatum scored 30 points in 10-for-24 shooting and Marcus Smart added 26 points in 9-for-18 shooting, but Waker Kare scored 19 for 6 for his 19 points. Miami tried to get the zoning out of the wrap, with a mixture of 2-3-2 zones, trapping and switching. This time, it worked well enough.
Here are three takeaways:
1. What it takes
One of Miami coach Eric Spolstra’s pet phrases is “whatever it takes.” He likes to talk about how playoff competition tests you and forces you to react when things don’t go your way. That’s why I imagine this would be his favorite win of the hit playoff run. Miami was stuck in the mud early on, dealing with defenses that function completely differently than Milwaukee’s key. He stumbled aggressively again after halftime and stuck with it.
If you’re sick of hearing about “heat culture” and how confident these players are in themselves, I fully understand. But they’ve bought all that stuff, and no team will make a comeback this way without a certain degree of self-confidence. At the start of the second quarter, Drazic was the only Miami player to do anything, but everyone on the floor made significant contributions.
Once again, J. Crowder punished the opponent every time he opened the back of the arc. Finished with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a 5-for-9 from the front. Tyler Hero also added a pair of 3-pointers at the end of the fourth quarter, and Butler and Adebayo’s game-winning plays were a combination of smarts, strength and a strong force of will.
At the post-game zoom conference, Spoilestra pointed out that De Debayo is also not in a good offensive stream, but he did find a way to put his fingerprint on the game.
“It could be a poster dunk,” Spoilestra said. “And a lot of people don’t get ready, he’s not ready to play and Jayson Tatum will put himself there when he gets to the launching pad. He just saved a big time for us. Tatum had a new time angle, and it seemed like he had The rim is open. And sometimes, when you have this kind of comparison, you just have to do plays that you can’t really explain. “
2. This sad content is not new
In the regular season, Goran Drezic has averaged 1.2.5 points on .3.5..1 percent true shooting with .3..1 assists and 2.3 rebounds. He played 28.2 minutes of play like the Heat’s sixth man, but, per minute, he was just as productive when he made the All-NBA third team in 2013-14 with the Phoenix Sons.
In the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs, Drejic averaged 21.1 points, plus 7.7 assists in 7.7 minutes and 4.4 rebounds on 56.56 percent accurate shooting. It may have seemed like Drake has only recently reached the second level, but in fact he has essentially maintained his level of play in the big role. Rather than run the show when Butler goes on the bench, Spoelstra calculated the defense at the same time as Butler and de Debio from the opening tip, making each of them more dangerous.
In the second quarter on Tuesday, while the Celtics were in definite control of the game, Drazik scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. He bought Miami for a while and allowed the team to settle down.
“It was really important because we don’t get anything going,” Spoilestra said. “And that’s a big time credit for their defense. They got us out of our normal rhythm. It wasn’t about us; they just do it. And Goran was able to get a little free and put some issues on the board.” Only in the second quarter did we get a little bit more confidence. “
Not as memorable or spectacular as Butler and A Debayo did, but with three-and-a-half minutes left in overtime, Drake Boston’s big man, Daniel Thisn, sat down under the basket. The hit in the extra frame had not yet scored, and the Celtics and Walker were four ahead after the stepback jumper. Drazic not only killed Boston’s pace, but also knocked Thais out of the game.
“A lot of ordinary fans out there don’t realize what a rival he is and he’s had his entire career,” Spoilestra said. “And I speak in the States as well as abroad. Won [FIBA European] Two summer before the championship, you need boys who know what it’s like, how difficult it is, and especially when we have young players on whom to rely, you need experienced, experienced winners who will help you settle Can give. And that is Goran. “
3. The crime of the Celtics is revived
The ending of the game would probably be lost, but, after seven rock fights against the Toronto Raptors, Boston found some aggressive rhythms. The Celtics earned 116.5 points per 100 gains in the loss, cleaning the glass, which is better than any other second-round game they have managed and their regular-season score. It’s no small feat against a hit team that has been defensively exceptional during the playoffs.
Boston was blessed with some hot shooting from Smart, but the more meaningful development was the return of Tatum’s sidestep 3-pointers. He hit a 4-for-12 from a deep ball, and the most notable number there is 12 – in contrast to the series against Toronto, in which he was always surrounded by small guards, Tetum was able to make room against the Miami defenders with relative ease.
The Celtics have some stuff to figure out, mainly in terms of how they want to deal with Adebayo’s switches against the 2-3-zone and the V-tax. In common sense, though, his offense looked healthy, and if Gordon Hayward is back in Game 2 on Thursday, everything should be a little easier.
