The Miami Heat have just mounted a significant 2-0 lead against the Boston Celtics, following Thursday's 106-101 win in the Eastern Conference Finals. Heat point guard Goran Dragic had another excellent showing for Miami, but the veteran was quick to deflect the praise to head coach Erik Spoelstra.
According to Dragic, Spoelstra did a tremendous job in making the necessary defensive adjustments against Boston in Game 2:
Dragic makes point that Boston doesn't run its usual offense when Miami is in zone, praises Spoelstra for switching to that.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) September 18, 2020
The Celtics pounded the Heat in the first half on Thursday, which resulted in a 60-47 lead for Boston at halftime. Spoelstra did a stellar job reading Boston's offense, which resulted in Miami coming all the way back in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 37-17 in the period.
Dragic himself was outstanding in this one, finishing with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, to go with three rebounds and five assists. The 34-year-old also made a couple of key plays down the stretch, that allowed the Heat to pull away. Clearly, he deserves a ton of credit as well for Miami's huge win.
Much has been made about how amazing this Heat team has been all season long. The role Spoelstra has played has perhaps been overlooked by some. He is clearly one of the best tacticians in the game today and the way he has coached his team this season cannot and should not be undermined.
Boston has a pretty good coach in Brad Stevens as well, so we should be in store for an amazing chess match between two of the best in the NBA. Nonetheless, Spoelstra and the Heat now have a huge advantage in the series.
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