The Miami Heat are down to their last strike. The Boston Celtics are up 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals with the chance to eliminate Jimmy Butler and company from the NBA playoffs in Boston.
Game 5 was not pretty for either team but it was especially brutal for the Heat. They put up a miserable offensive performance and lost 93-80. Miami lost its halftime lead quickly and watched as yet another game in this series became a blowout. Now, their season is on the line.
The Heat have to bring their very best performance to TD Garden. They can force a Game 7 back at home but have to play much, much better than they did in Game 5.
3 biggest things Heat must fix to force a Game 7 vs. Celtics
3. Find a productive backcourt tandem
In Game 5, Kyle Lowry and Max Strus combined for 15 field-goal attempts and didn't make a single one. The Heat simply can't have such a dearth of production with their season on the line.
Although the Heat had to play without Tyler Herro, which took a key layer of their offense off the table, the rest of the guards have to step up. With or without their star sixth man, Miami has to get the most from their guards.
Victor Oladipo has had some strong moments, especially with his defense, in this year's NBA playoffs. Gabe Vincent has had success starting in Lowry's spot and Caleb Martin has contributed well on both sides of the ball. The Heat are not without their options.
Whether it's getting Lowry and Strus right or playing Vincent, Oladipo and Martin more, the Heat absolutely have to find the right combination of guards. Getting Herro back would be a massive blessing but that is not a guarantee and his scoring abilities can't make up for lackluster play from the rest of the backcourt players.
2. Force Jaylen Brown to dribble more
For as good as Jaylen Brown can be for the Celtics, his one clear weakness is handling the ball in the halfcourt. Defenders have not had much trouble poking the ball loose from him. Since he has shown that he can activate takeover mode, the Heat have to key in on him harder.
The Heat could have success with doubling Brown. The Heat picked his pocket plenty of times in one-on-one scenarios and would have an easier time doing so with additional help. Oladipo, in particular, has shown previously in this series that he can put the clamps all over him.
We witnessed one of the best individual defensive halves last night:
Victor Oladipo
Pure dominance, just watch: pic.twitter.com/RIQw9vdaqc
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) May 22, 2022
When Brown makes a quick, decisive move, he is tougher to contain because of his shooting touch and explosiveness. Jayson Tatum will always be the top priority but forcing Brown into a bad shooting night is a Miami recipe for success.
1. Make Jimmy Butler's life easier
The Heat live and die by their star. In Game 5, Jimmy Butler's 4-18 shooting was one of the fatal flaws of his team's performance. Not only does he need to be better but Miami has to help him do so.
Running the pick and roll with Butler would work. He could either be the ball-handler, knifing through the defense to get to his spots and make the right pass, or the roller, which would allow him to get downhill with less resistance (if Boston plays the screen aggressively). The Heat could also set more off-ball screens for him.
Butler is no stranger to going superhuman in the NBA playoffs. He looked nothing like that in Game 5. The likelihood of Butler playing that poorly and the Heat still finding a way to win is minuscule, if not nonexistent.
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