For what feels like the millionth time, the Boston Celtics are tied in a playoff series with the Miami Heat. On Wednesday night at TD Garden, Miami torched the C's from beyond the arc en route to a 111-101 upset win in Game 2.
The C's took Game 1 by tying a franchise record for made 3-pointers and the Heat responded in Game 2 with 23 triples of their own—enough to break a postseason franchise record of their own.
So, how did Miami flip the script? Let's explore why the first-round playoff series is tied 1-1 through three takeaways from Boston's disappointing Game 2 loss.
Celtics must feed Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis was a force in Game 1. He was connecting from deep and working the Heat in the paint with some difficult shots.
Game 2 was a totally different story, as the Heat made every entry pass to the Latvian big man extremely difficult. Whenever the Celtics found Porzingis down low, Miami would swarm to either break up the pass or rip the ball from him. As a result, the 2018 All-Star finished with just six points while going a brutal 1-for-9 from the floor.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla discussed how the Heat were able to shut Porzingis down following the game.
“I mean, they did a good job being physical,” he said. “Pushing catches higher. Making it difficult for us to take advantage of those switches … I think when you're in situations like that, you have to fight for your spacing. So, on some of those, we weren't spaced well. We didn't hold the hold the seals well. So, just a little bit of everything. We got to be better [at] physically holding seals, make better passes, have better spacing. Just put us in a position to [get to] two-on-ones easier, and have better execution.”
Porzingis' post-up game was a boon to the Green Team throughout the regular season. To see it disappear in Game 2 was a huge detriment for Boston.
When asked how Miami locked up Porzingis, Celtics star Jaylen Brown also mentioned the Heat's increased physicality.
“They're physical; they make it tough. And stuff like that, they want to push catches out, especially if the whistle's in their favor; they pride themselves on trying to make everything tough,” he said. So, we've just got to fight for our spacing; we've got to be just as physical and look forward to it. Own our space, catch the ball with physicality, don't look for the ref to make the call, and embrace it. I think that it's a mindset, it's a lifestyle, you've got to just embrace it. And I don't think we did. I think they embraced it a little bit more than we did tonight.”
If the Celtics want to gain the series advantage in Miami, they'll need to hit Porzingis with better entry passes and keep an eye out for incoming double-teams.
3-point margin proves deadly for Boston
A simple glance at the box score reveals a major part of this game: The Heat shot the lights out and the Celtics didn't.
Before Game 2, Miami's previous playoff record for 3-pointers was 20. The Heat surpassed that total by three against Boston and still managed to shoot 53.5% from deep (23-for-43). On the other hand, the C's converted on just 12 of their 32 attempts from beyond the arc.
Even Brown couldn't deny that his squad got dominated on the perimeter.
“They played with pace. And they were, you know, making shots. Guys that we want shooting the ball was hitting them,” he said. “We simply couldn’t get them to miss. We thought they were decent closeouts but credit to those guys. They came out and they play fast and they play hard and had a record-breaking night.”
Fellow 2024 All-Star Jayson Tatum shared a similar sentiment.
“You got to give them credit. They shot more threes—they really shot the ball well tonight. For the most part, our effort, it wasn’t like we weren’t playing hard or connected. There were some missed opportunities that we wish we could have back—some open looks, some transition threes. They were just too comfortable. But tip your hat off to them, they hit some shots tonight.”
Boston's calling card for much of the season has been to dominate its opponents on the 3-point margins. The C's will have to return to that, or at least not get completely outshot, in order to counter Miami.
Game 1 and Game 2 were almost exact opposites
Oddly enough, Games 1 and 2 of this first-round series were sort of reversed.
In the series opener, the Celtics were connecting consistently from 3-point land. In Game 2, they went cold at times while the Heat were red-hot. In Game 1, the Celtics earned a wire-to-wire, double-digit win while the Heat were constantly trying to cut into the lead. In Game 2, the C's spent most of the second half fighting to stay alive before ultimately falling by double-digits.
Things were especially different for Boston. On Sunday, the Celtics had six players in double figures and benefitted from a very balanced offense. On Wednesday, they had three players in double figures, with Tatum and Brown recording more than half of their team's points.
Some of the heroes of each game switched up as well. Porzingis had a notable drop-off while Heat forward Caleb Martin went from notching just four points in Game 1 (2-for-6) to 21 points in Game 2 (7-for-12). It was the same for Miami guard Tyler Herro, too, as he had a rough 4-for-13 outing in Game 1 but went 7-for-13 three days later.
If these inverses tell us anything, it's that truly anything can happen in the NBA Playoffs. It also proves a point Brown made after the Game 2 defeat.
“Every game is a new game. And that’s all we can afford to think about. And that’s my thought process for Game 3: Game 1 and 2 are over now.”
The Celtics will now travel to Miami for a Saturday night showdown in Game 3. Even against an injured Heat squad, the C's will have to significantly improve upon their Game 2 showing to shift the series in their favor.
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