7:30 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Celtics -5.0, Over/Under: 214.5
With the playoffs rapidly approaching, there is much to decide in the East as a pair of its contenders are set to battle in Beantown, as the Miami Heat encounter the surging Boston Celtics from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Little over eighteen months removed from advancing to the NBA Finals during the National Basketball Association’s pandemic-interrupted campaign, the Heat (48-28, 1st in Eastern Conference) paid the price for their success last season, slumping to a 40-32 finish concluding with an unceremonious sweep in the first round of the playoffs. A ridiculously abridged offseason led to fatigue, which in turn led to injuries, and numerous outbreaks of COVID-19 meant that Miami was never afforded the luxury of properly defending their eastern crown. However, (Head Coach) Eirk Spoelstra & Co went into this past summer with a plan to recharge and continue to develop their talent, while also adding valuable reinforcements in the form of a number of seasoned veterans. It was clear that Spoelstra and (Team President) Pat Riley placed an emphasis on adding vets with championship experience, and the likes of (Point Guard) Kyle Lowry (13.1 PTS, 43.1% FG, 36.9% 3FG, 85.5% FT, 4.6 REB, 7.5 AST, 1.1 STL, 13.6 PER), (defensive stopper) P.J. Tucker (7.7 PTS, 48.4% FG, 41.6% 3FG, 72.9% FT, 5.4 REB 2.1 AST, 0.8 STL, 11.4 PER), and (versatile Forward) Markieff Morris (7.4 PTS, 48.1% FG, 33.3% 3FG, 88.9% FT, 2.6 REB, 1.2 AST, 10.1 PER) offer that in spades, with each player performing a valuable role for one of the last three NBA Champions. Furthermore, all three figures fit the Heat’s culture PERFECTLY, stretching the floor from the perimeter, defending doggedly on the opposite of the end of the hardwood, and wearing a noticeable chip on their shoulders, particularly when it comes to playing alongside (All-NBA Swingman) Jimmy Butler (21.2 PTS, 47.5% FG, 22.1% 3FG, 87.4% FT, 6.0 REB, 5.6 AST, 1.7 STL, 23.9 PER). Is there anyone in the Association who is a better fit for the team that they play for than Butler? The six-time All-Star remains a consistent force on both ends of the hardwood, averaging 21.2 points per game on 47.5% shooting, along with 6.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.7 steals. However, Butler’s temperament often runs HOT, which was certainly the case in the Heat’s stunning 118-104 loss at home to the decimated Warriors, who were without virtually all of the star-power in what was a lifeless effort from the hosts. Towards the end of the affair, Butler erupted into a shouting match with veteran teammate Udonis Haslem and later Spoelstra, that all sides would downplay during the ensuing press conference. Be that as it may, that loss was the second of a season-high four-game losing streak for Miami, which couldn’t come at a worse time of the campaign; though they had spent much of the previous two months in first place in the Eastern Conference, their margin for error had become increasingly small, with the likes of the 76ers, Bucks, and tonight’s opponent all breathing down the back of their necks. In fact, Boston even leapfrogged them briefly earlier in the week, before Spoelstra’s troops finally snapped out of their malaise with Monday night’s 123-100 obliteration of the Sacramento Kings. So, what in the name of Alonzo Mourning happened on South Beach, you ask? Well, taking that quartet of games for what they were, it was simply a case of one of the best defensive teams in the NBA getting utterly shredded by their opponents. Losing to Philadelphia (113-106) and Brooklyn (110-95) is one thing but yielding 111 points to the Knicks and 118 points to a depleted Warriors side without the likes of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson is something else entirely, which must have placed Spoelstra in a fury. In those four contests, the Heat allowed 48.5% shooting from the field, including 37.2% from beyond the arc, and 24.5 assists in comparison to forcing just 11.5 turnovers, while being outrebounded by a sizeable 7.5 boards. Simply put, this is NOT a team that seeks to push the tempo and enter a track meet. They would much rather slow the pace down, and get their defense set up in the half court. Against Sacramento though, they had no problems clamping down on their opponent, relegating the visitors to 45.7% shooting overall, including 12-of-35 from downtown (34.3%), along with twenty-one assists opposed to fourteen turnovers, while manhandling them on the glass, 48-32. Leading by as many as TWENTY-SIX points, Miami caught fire from the perimeter, knocking down 19-of-40 threes (47.5%) and outscoring the Kings by a whopping TWENTY-ONE points in that regard. This helped make up for the fact that they attempted only SIX free-throws and saw their sixteen turnovers manufactured into twenty-four points going in the opposite direction. Butler led the way with twenty-seven points on an efficient 10-of-14 shooting (71.4%), four rebounds, and seven assists, while (versatile big man) Bam Adebayo (19.1 PTS, 55.3% FG, 75.4% FT, 10.2 REB, 3.4 AST, 1.5 STL, 0.8 BLK, 21.8 PER) added twenty-two points on 10-of-16 shooting (62.5%) and fifteen rebounds. The bench also played a major role in the outcome of this game, with the group besting Sacramento’s 50-30, with (Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner) Tyler Herro (20.8 PTS, 40.5% FG, 38.9% 3FG, 87.3% FT, 4.8 REB, 3.9 AST, 0.7 STL, 16.3 PER) and (sharpshooting Forward) Duncan Robinson (11.1 PTS, 39.8% FG, 37.0% 3FG, 84.5% FT, 2.7 REB, 1.7 AST, 0.5 STL, 10.6 PER) accounting for thirty-five of that point total. While that victory vaulted them back into first place, tonight’s trip to the Garden kicks off a crucial five-game stretch in which they will face five successive eastern playoff teams, with the first four coming on the road. With just one game separating the top four teams in the conference and having already lost season series with the Celtics, tonight’s affair has all the making of a MUST-WIN for the Heat, for another slide could be the difference between facing a favorable play-in opponent in the first round and battling the likes of Chicago in two weeks’ time.
Meanwhile, prior to the All-Star Break you would have been hard-pressed to have found a hotter team than the Celtics (47-22, 4th in Eastern Conference), who have really found their groove under the new regime, winning TWENTY-FOUR of their last twenty-nine games. Indeed, this past summer saw Boston undergo a soft reboot, with the franchise instituting some fairly significant changes; after spiraling to a disappointing 36-36 finish, their first at .500 or below in six years, and an equally disturbing exit in the first round of the playoffs, Boston parted ways with long time basketball czar, Danny Ainge, who was replaced by (Head Coach) Brad Stevens, who in turn effectively abdicated his position on the bench in favor of moving up within the organization. His choice to succeed himself would be Ime Udoka, who after cutting his teeth as a member of Gregg Popovich’s staff in San Antonio (2012- 2019), spent last season as Steve Nash’s chief lieutenant in Brooklyn. From a personnel standpoint, Stevens would quickly get to work in the offseason adding (veteran Forward) Al Horford (10.0 PTS, 45.2% FG, 32.3% 3FG, 83.7% FT, 7.5 REB, 3.3 AST, 0.7 STL, 1.4 BLK, 16.2 PER), along with (sparkplug Point Guard) Dennis Schroder and (versatile Swingman) Josh Richardson in an attempt to inject some more playmaking and creativity into the rotation, bringing Horford back to the Northeast after a two-year stint away from the club that he had previously enjoyed some of his greatest years with (2016-2019). However, this cocktail proved to be a bitter and unstable one at first, as Boston stumbled out to a disappointing 17-19 start over the first two months of the campaign, struggling to build chemistry on either end of the hardwood, with rumors of their two young star swingmen, Jayson Tatum (27.1 PTS, 45.0% FG, 35.6% 3FG, 86.0% FT, 8.1 REB, 4.3 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.6 BLK, 21.8 PER) and Jaylen Brown (23.4 PTS, 46.9% FG, 35.0% 3FG, 75.8% FT, 6.1 REB, 3.2 AST, 1.0 STL, 18.4 PER), coming into conflict with each other. Fortunately for all parties involved, they squashed whatever perceived beef there was, with Tatum in particular taking his game to another level; we’ve seen this from the talented Forward before, when he ascended to stardom in the Bubble, and after a campaign in which he suffered the effects of COVID-19, he’s again ascended the ranks of the league’s elite offensive weapons. Notice that we didn’t necessarily describe him simply as a scorer, for the 23-year-old has taken on a greater role as a facilitator of the offense, while really improving on the defensive end of the hardwood. Oh, and he can REALLY put the ball through the nylon; over his past fifteen games, Tatum has averaged 32.3 points on a torrid 51.1% shooting from the floor, including 43.9% from beyond the arc, and 90.1% from the charity stripe, while adding 6.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 0.8 steals to boot. However, he along with both Brown and Horford were absent in Monday night’s encounter with the Raptors, who narrowly edged them in a 115-112 affair that required overtime to crown a victory. The second leg of a back-to-back, all three players sat out with respective maladies, while (emerging young Center) Robert Williams (10. PTS, 73.6% FG, 72.2% FT, 9.6 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.9 STL, 2.2 BLK, 22.2 PER) was diagnosed with a torn meniscus suffered in the weekend’s 134-112 romp over the Timberwolves. Without that quartet and their 70.5 points, 31.3 rebounds, and 12.8 rebounds a night, it was remarkable that Udoka’s troops managed to keep this one so close; leading by four points following a triple from (seldom-used swingman) Aaron Nesmith (3.6 PTS, 38.6% FG, 24.8% 3FG, 79.2% FT, 1.8 REB, 0.4 AST, 7.0 PER) with just under a minute to play in regulation, Toronto’s Pascal Siakim went to work in the clutch, slicing to the rim for a quick layup, and then after a crucial block on the defensive end, drew a foul from Nesmith and calmly netted both free-throws to send the contest into overtime. After scoring the first four points of the extra period, the hosts would outscore the visiting side 9-2 the rest of the way, as Siakim produced back-to-back jumpers while his teammates finished it off from the charity stripe as Boston missed a pair of three-pointers in the waning moments. In the end, the Celtics shot just 41.5% from the field, including 12-of-40 from downtown (30.0%), though managed to stay in the game due to their performance from the stripe, where they knocked down 22-of- 28 free-throws, outscoring the Raptors 22-13 in that regard. Unfortunately, they committed seventeen turnovers which Toronto turned into TWENTY-SIX points, which also played a role in the sizeable differentials in both fast break points (-13) and points in the paint (14). Then again, what was to be expected without the likes of Tatum, Brown, Horford, and Williams? Udoka was forced to dig DEEP into his bench for this one, with seven different players scoring in double-figures, led by (do-it-all sparkplug) Marcus Smart (12.2 PTS, 41.9% FG, 32.5% 3FG, 79.2% FT, 3.9 REB, 5.8 AST, 1.7 STL, 13.9 PER), who offered a team-high twenty-eight points on 10-of-25 shooting (40.0%), ten rebounds, four assists, and a block, though also accounted for SEVEN turnovers, and shot just 2-of-11 from the perimeter (18.2%). The loss meant that Boston’s reign in first place was indeed a short-lived one, as they fell back to fourth in the standings, sitting one game behind Miami. With six contests remaining, they will face the likes of Indiana and Washington at the Garden before embarking on a tough three-game road trip to finish the regular season, with Chicago, Milwaukee, and Memphis on tap. Of course, the health of Tatum, Brown, and Horford looms large down the stretch, with each of them labeled as day-to-day for tonight’s showdown with the Heat, whom they will own the tiebreaker over no matter the outcome.