Though they held a sizable lead in the first two quarters of Thursday night's matchup against the Miami Heat, the Celtics saw their advantage dwindle away in the second half. As a result of the 106-101 loss, Boston is now facing an 0-2 deficit in the series.
So what adjustments do the Celtics need to make ahead of their Game 3 matchup against the Heat?
Ball security
The Celtics led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but a poor showing in the final two frames — especially the third — allowed the Heat to creep their way back in. Miami went on to outscore Boston 37-17 in the third quarter. Following the loss, a heated Marcus Smart was heard shouting in the locker room. His teammates later downplayed the incident, but the damage had already been done.
“It was nothing,” Walker said of Walker's locker room outburst, via ESPN. “It was nothing.”
Ball security was a real issue for the C's in Game 2. As a team, they had 20 giveaways. By comparison, Miami had just nine. Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum had five apiece, while Smart had four. Three Celtics finished with 20 or more points, but turnovers became a liability down the stretch. All in all, the Heat scored 26 points off Boston's turnovers. Seven of Boston's giveaways came in that dreadful third quarter.
Clearly, the Celtics will need to hold onto the the ball in Game 3 if they hope to climb from this 0-2 hole.
Attack the zone
The Heat went with an interesting tactic against the Celtics in Game 3, using a zone defense for the final 20 minutes. The Celtics are no stranger to playing against a zone, as the Toronto Raptors used a “box-and-1” variant of this system in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Against Miami's zone in Game 2, Boston scored 26 points on 29 possessions (0.90 per). Otherwise, they scored 75 points on 65 possessions (1.15 per). The discrepancy is clear to see.
The Celtics weren't terrible against Miami's zone, but they struggled to finish after penetrating.
After scoring 38 points in the paint (12 more than they had in all of Game 1) through the first 28 minutes on Thursday, the Celtics scored just eight points in the paint over the last 20 minutes.
Taming a Dragon
Heat point guard Goran Dragic was a real problem for the Celtics in Game 2. The Dragon logged 34 minutes, scoring a team-high 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field (3-of-7 from beyond the arc), five assists and three rebounds. Nine of his 25 points came in the fourth quarter alone. He went on to finish with a plus-10 on the stat sheet, which means Miami outscored Boston by 10 while he was on the court.
Dragic was an issue, sure. However, the Celtics allowed a total of six Heat players to reach double-digits in the scoring column. Bam Adebayo, who exploded with a huge third quarter, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jimmy Butler added 14 for Miami, while Jae Crowder and Tyler Herro had 12 and 11, respectively.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens admitted that his team will have to fight their way back into this series:
“We pulled apart and we didn't play well,” Stevens said, via ESPN. “And they did a good job. We're not beating this team if we're not completely connected on both ends of the court. So, got to get back to being that, which we've been at times. But right now, they're a better team. We're going to have to fight to get back in this series.”
Celtics need Hayward's potential return
One thing working in Boston's favor is the fact that Gordon Hayward may be on the mend — again. The former Butler Bulldog has been sidelined since August 17 due to a Grade 3 ankle sprain. He's already missed the first two games of this series, but there is some hope that he will be available for the ensuing matchups.
Hayward has been ramping up his workload in practice sessions. He's gone through at least one “hard workout,” but his status for this series is still in question. Marcus Smart has taken on a heavier workload in Gordon's absence.
Game 2 was the first time that Hayward was upgraded to “doubtful” since suffering the injury.
Celtics have officially upgraded Gordon Hayward to doubtful for Game 2 for the first time since he suffered his Grade 3 ankle sprain.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 16, 2020
Climbing from the depths of an 0-2 deficit in the Conference Finals would be a tall order for any NBA team, but the Celtics have what it takes. They've been close in both games of this series, with neither matchup being won by more than five points. Let's see if they can bring it all together in Game 3.
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