The Miami Heat have been the surprise packet of the NBA playoffs, working their way not just into the Eastern Conference Finals, but to a 3-0 lead against the Boston Celtics despite just scraping into the postseason as the eight seed. They couldn’t get the job done in Game 4 and will now head back to Boston to try to close out the series in five and set up a date in the NBA Finals with the Denver Nuggets, but they’ll need to play a hell of a lot better than they did last time out if they’re to do that.
There was plenty that went wrong in Game 4 for the Heat, which leaves a lot of scope for improvement. These are three key adjustments that the Heat can make to close out the Celtics in Game 5.
1. Take care of the basketball
Despite winning the first three games of the series, the Heat haven’t been particularly good at taking care of the ball – and more importantly preventing scores off turnovers – against the Celtics. In Game 4, however, that reached crisis point. They gave the ball up 16 times in that game, with those turnovers leading to 27 points – that’s compared to 14 points that the Heat managed off Boston turnovers. Compare that with the first three games, in which the Heat conceded an average of 12 turnovers a game for 19.7 points.
Turnovers certainly weren’t the only reason that the Heat lost Game 4, and they were still winning despite struggling a little in this space over the first three games. But the Heat can’t afford to be giving up 27 points off turnovers again in Game 5. If they do, it’s very hard to see them coming away with the win they need to close out the series on Boston’s home floor.
2. Get Bam involved
After Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo is the Heat’s most important player, and for most of the playoffs, he’s played like it. The versatile big man is averaging 17.6 points on 51.2% shooting to go with 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and some of the best defense in the world, but he’s been noticeably less impactful the last couple of games, and in particular in the Heat’s Game 4 loss.
He took just seven shots in that game, hitting four of them en route to ten points to go with five rebounds, zero assists and four turnovers. He got himself into some foul trouble picking up his fourth with 5:49 to go in the third, but he still played 35 minutes – he was just unable to have the effect on the game which he is typically so consistently able to provide in those minutes. A lot of that falls back on the Miami ball-handlers, who need to look to get Bam more involved after taking just 12 shots in the past two games, but Adebayo himself, too, needs to be more aggressive in both looking for his own shots, and making the plays of which he is so capable.
3. Eat a few more oranges at half-time
Or lollies, or whatever it is that gets you up for the third quarter after an extended break. Third quarters have been wild in this series – the Heat won the third in Game 1 by 21 points and by 15 points in Game 3, both of which led to big wins. In Game 4, it went the other way. With Miami leading by six points after two quarters, the Celtics came out and won the third quarter 38-23 to take a nine point lead into the last which they would never relinquish.
Of course, it’s not as easy as simply planning to play well after half-time. But third quarters are often moving time, and that has been particularly so in this series. The Boston home crowd will be buzzing and the second half will be when they really find their voice, so the Heat will need to ensure they are locked in from the outset of the third to avoid a similar pattern as Game 4 repeating itself in Game 5.
The Heat have been brilliant these NBA playoffs, and have taken it to the next level against the Celtics – at least, they did in the first three games. After a solid first half in a home closeout attempt, they were overrun in the second half of Game 4, and the Celtics now have a sniff. As good as Miami have been, they’re playing an excellent team, and they won’t want to give them any more of an opening than what they have now. The above three adjustments will go a long way to helping them wrap this series up in five.
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