Celtics and Heat agree: 2-0 lead in Eastern final means nothing

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra gestures as he watches the game against the Boston Celtics during the second half of an NBA conference final basketball game, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – If there was any consolation for the Boston Celtics on Friday, it probably could have been found in the understanding that a 2-0 lead for the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals doesn’t guarantee anything.

The Celtics learned that two years ago against Cleveland.

And Milwaukee learned the same thing last season against Toronto.

Dropping the first two games of the East finals to the Heat is obviously not the ideal setting for the Celtics. But they’ve had a chance to win both games, and it’s possible they’ll get Gordon Hayward back Saturday night for Game 3 when they get a chance to return to this series.

“I think this series is far from over,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said.

Those are not fighting words. The Heat agree with him.

“We have not done anything. We haven’t, “said Jimmy Butler, NBA pick and Heat forward. “We can’t get excited that we’re up 2-0 because as good as 2-0 is, it could easily be 4-2 Boston. So we’re going to go down the same road knowing that we have to be better and be humble about it. “

The Celtics were up 14 in the fourth quarter of Game 1, then up 17 in the first half of Game 2 and lost both games. Seeing a 17-point lead erased in the first half in the NBA is no longer a big deal; the wasted advantage that really bothered Boston was the five-point lead they had with 4:25 remaining. They were outscored 17-7 the rest of the way, and tempers flared in the Boston locker room after the game.

“We felt like we could have won,” Brown said. “I should have won, and we didn’t. So a lot of emotions going around. That’s.”

The Heat had big breaks in Game 2, plays like Kelly Olynyk on a triple late in the third quarter to help cap a Miami run 37-17, and Butler landed a steal and then whipped the ball behind his back. while saving him from going out of bounds in the fourth, a play in which the Heat not only kept possession of their shot, but ended up hitting a layup.

But the comeback also had important tactical elements, as Miami went to the defensive zone and suffocated the Celtics with that scheme. If Boston gets Hayward back, who hasn’t played in a month due to an ankle injury, on Saturday, his ability to throw and pass will help him when Miami tries the zone. Hayward was listed as questionable for Game 3 in Boston’s injury report to the league on Friday.

“It’s not about zones or defenses and offenses and things like that,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “This is it, we have to be better.”

Boston led Cleveland 2-0 in the 2018 Eastern Finals before losing in seven games; Milwaukee led Toronto 2-0 in the 2019 Eastern final before losing in six games. Momentum can change so quickly in a series, and the Heat know that’s the case.

“You get to this level, in the conference finals, it won’t be easy for either team, and it wasn’t,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who scored his 81st postseason win Thursday to tie KC Jones in eighth place on the all-time list. “Both teams are risking everything. That’s the way it should be. “

Something else you should know before Saturday:

THE DRAGON

Goran Dragic, the 34-year-old point guard from Miami, has led the Heat in scoring in each of the first two games, 29 points in Game 1 and 25 in Game 2. “He’s a winner, man. That’s my man, ”Butler said. The only other player this season, 34 and older, who had multiple 25-point games against Boston was Toronto’s Kyle Lowry in the East semi-finals.

FROM 3

Brown and Marcus Smart are 13 of 27 from 3-point range in the two games for Boston; Celtics teammates Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum are 9 of 34. Tatum knows he has to be more aggressive, after not shooting in the final 4:56 of Game 2. “Without looking, we won four of five. … Only the next one wins, ”Tatum said.

A HEAT FIRST

Miami is a franchise with three NBA championships and five trips to the NBA Finals, but it has never had three series separated by 2-0 in the same postseason, until now. This is only the second time they have led 2-0 in eight trips to the Eastern Final; they led Boston 2-0 in 2012.

CELTIC DEFENSE

Even after giving up 223 points in the first two games of the Eastern Finals, Boston still leads these NBA playoffs in points allowed per game (101.8; Miami is second with 104.4), opponent’s field goal percentage (.413 ) and opponent 3- percentage of points (.317). But after a 6-0 start to the postseason, the Celtics are just 2-5 since. That matches Boston’s worst stretch of seven games since any point this season.

RECOVERY DAY

Both teams skipped practice on Friday, opting for optional meetings, video sessions and workouts.

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