“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Jayson Tatum said at the podium following a 111-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2. “There’s a lot of history between these two franchises, especially recently. Regardless of seeding, or who’s in or who’s out, it’s the playoffs. Especially with that team. It’s never going to go how people expect it to go.”
Against "that" team? Under these circumstances? Nobody could possibly think it was going to be THAT easy for the Celtics, right?
Of course not.
The Celtics have danced with Erik Spoelstra’s wizardry enough to know it’s never a straightforward affair. Even without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, the Celtics know better.
In Game 2, Miami’s voodoo seemed to wield some kind of reverse magic, completely flipping the script from Game 1.
On the heels of the Celtics knocking down 22 three-pointers in Game 1 – tying a franchise record for a playoff game – en route to a +30 advantage from downtown, Spoelstra and the Heat waved the magic wand, twisting the fate.
Miami poured in 23 triples, outscoring Boston 69-36 (+33) on the perimeter. The 23 threes by the Heat set a postseason franchise record, tied the third most in NBA postseason history, and marked the most ever allowed by Boston in a playoff game.
“You got to give them credit. They shot more threes - they really shot the ball well tonight,” Tatum said postgame. “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.”
From the start, Miami was clearly trying to win the game on the perimeter. Sixteen of their first 20 (80%) shot attempts came from distance. In the first quarter, they shot 8-of-15 (53.3%), tying their season-highs for both makes and attempts for any quarter.
Though both teams made 37 shots on the night, Miami traded twos for threes, essentially stealing Boston’s special potion and walking away with a victory.
“When things like that are happening, it puts more pressure on your offense. Your offense has to be more efficient. Your offense has to be more effective. You have to look at the other side of the adjustment,” Joe Mazzulla said when asked if he felt the Celtics adjusted to Miami’s barrage of threes in the second half and what they could have done differently.
“The first adjustment was to try and become more efficient on the offensive end. We were able to do that in some stretches. It was what, like, a six to eight-point game? It was a two [or] three-possession game. With a team shooting 55% from three and you shooting 37%, you’re getting more shots than them – they are getting outshot by 11 – for it to be a two-possession game for the majority of the fourth quarter – you’re looking to just be more efficient on the offensive end.”
Boston’s inefficiency was glaring. With the exception of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who combined for 61 points on 23-of-43 (53.4%), the Celtics, as a team, shot 14-of-37 (37.8%). Derrick White (13 points) was the only other Celtic to finish in double figures. In fairness, that inefficiency was directly related to their inability to get a stop on the defensive end.
It doesn’t help that Kristaps Porzingis had his worst game as a Celtic, finishing the night with six points on 1-of-9 (11.1%) shooting and -32 plus-minus. His -32 was his second-worst career mark and his worst as a Celtic.
“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,” Mazzulla said on how the Heat slowed down Porzingis.
“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.”
Additionally, Jrue Holiday struggled offensively for the second consecutive game, shooting 4-of-12 (33.3%) from the field.
Adding to the Celtics’ woes, turnovers plagued them with 13 miscues, resulting in 20 points for the Heat, compounded by six missed free throws.
“It’s unfortunate that losing a game is adversity,” Mazzulla said after the game. “It’s just the nature of the playoffs. It’s adverse itself. To think that you’re not going to have ups and downs throughout a run, you’re not being realistic.” You just have to go back and look at what we did well and what we didn’t and then figure out the areas that we can improve on.”
Perhaps the term “adversity” is a tad strong. After all, it’s just one game in a seven-game series. However, as Mazzulla pointed out, that’s the nature of the playoffs. Every possession, every second matters, especially against a team like the Heat: give them an inch, they’ll take a mile.
There aren’t going to be many games where the Celtics struggle like that. They are simply far too talented to receive production from only two players. Yet, this game served as a stark reminder of the repercussions when such performances persist, and it was hard not to experience a sense of déjà vu while watching Wednesday night’s game.
Now, it’s about how the Celtics respond.
One loss doesn’t spell disaster for the series. However, how Boston responds will be telling. While playoffs are a different ball game, they’ve given us every reason to believe they’ll bounce back.
“We gotta adjust and play ball,” Jaylen Brown said. “We gotta respond.”
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