8:30 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Heat -3.5, Over/Under: 207.5
After a one-sided opening salvo, the Eastern Conference Finals rage on, as the top-seeded Miami Heat look to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the shorthanded Boston Celtics in Game Two of their series from FTX Arena in Miami, Florida. One of the most difficult things about the playoffs is the transition from one series to the next, for no matter how grueling one matchup was, you may have to turn right around and prepare for the next in truncated period of time. And that is where the Celtics (51-31, 2nd in Eastern Conference) find themselves at the moment, for after going the distance in a proverbial bloodbath with the (reigning NBA Champion) Bucks, received one day of rest before hitting the road to South beach where the well-rested Heat awaited them. Granted, this is an arduous task under normal circumstances, but another wrinkle was unveiled shortly before Tuesday’s opener as (veteran Forward) Al Horford (10.2 PTS, 46.7% FG, 33.6% 3FG, 84.2% FT, 7.7 REB, 3.4 AST, 0.7 STL, 1.3 BLK, 16.7 PER) and (newly-minted Defensive Player of the Year) Marcus Smart (21.1 PTS, 41.8% FG, 33.1% 3FG, 79.3% FT, 3.8 REB, 5.9 AST, 1.7 STL, 13.6 PER) were both announced as inactive in Game One’s 118-107 loss. Smart sat out with a sore foot suffered in Game Seven of the previous series, while Horford was a surprise cut after falling into the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols. Both players were integral pieces to their conquest of Milwaukee, and both were missed sorely on Tuesday night, though you wouldn’t know it from this one started; riding the wave from the weekend’s triumph, Boston came out firing in Miami, leading by as many as thirteen points in a first half in which they shot a blistering 59.1% from the field, including 5-of-14 from beyond the arc (35.7%), with seventeen assists opposed to seven turnovers en route to owning a 62-54 lead at intermission. (All-Star Swingmen) Jayson Tatum (26.9 PTS, 45.3% FG, 35.3% 3FG, 85.3% FT, 8.0 REB, 4.4 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.6 BLK, 21.8 PER), who has been the Most Valuable Player of these playoffs thus far, continued his torrid form with TWENTY-ONE points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting (64.3%), four rebounds, and five assists, while (emerging Center) Robert Williams (10.0 PTS, 73.6% FG, 72.2% FT, 9.6 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.9 STL, 2.2 BLK, 22.1 PER) returned to the lineup following a four-game absence due to a bulky knee, erupted with twelve points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting (100.0%), five boards and two blocks. Unfortunately, there was another half of basketball to be played at FTX Arena, or more specifically, a third quarter in which the affair was turned on its head. So, how stark was the contrast of this period from the two that preceded it, you ask? As hot as (Head Coach) Ime Udoka’s troops were through the first thirty minutes, they were ICE COLD over the next twelve, shooting a frigid 2-of-15 from the floor (13.3%), including 0-of-7 from downtown (0.0%), with six assists in comparison to eight turnovers. In fact, of the mere fourteen points that the visitors managed to score in the quarter, TEN came from the charity stripe (10-of-14). Perhaps the fatigue from the previous series finally caught up to them at that point, for the Celtics found themselves on the wrong end of a 22-2 run that they simply couldn’t fight their way back from. In the end, the visiting side shot 45.6% overall and 11-of-34 from three (32.4%), with twenty-two turnovers and sixteen turnovers, while owning an edge in both fast break points (+6) and points in the paint (+8). They also did quite a bit of damage from the free-throw line, where they knocked down 24-of-32 attempts (75.0%), but that wasn’t enough to match the hosts, who were a prolific 30-of-34 in that regard (88.2%). Tatum finished the night with twenty-nine points on 10-of-21 shooting (47.6%) but was just 2-of-9 from the perimeter (22.2%), with nearly as many turnovers (6) as points (8) after halftime, as the Heat locked in on the All-Star, blitzing and trapping him throughout the second half. (All-Star Swingman) Jaylen Brown (23.6 PTS, 47.3% FG, 35.8% 3FG, 75.8% FT, 6.1 REB, 3.5 AST, 1.1 STL, 18.9 PER) was solid, totaling twenty-four points on 7-of-12 shooting (41.2%), including 4-of-8 on treys (50.0%), ten rebounds, and three assists, while the aforementioned Williams ended up with eighteen points nine rebounds, and a pair of blocks. (Backup Guard) Payton Prtichard (6.2 PTS, 42.9% FG, 41.2% 3FG, 100.0%, 1.9 REB, 2.0 AST, 15.0 PER) enjoyed a strong showing to boot, with eighteen points, five rebounds, and four assists, though the same could not be said about (Backup Forward) Grant Williams (7.8 PTS, 47.5% FG, 41.1% 3FG, 90.5% FT, 3.6 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.7 BLK, 11.2 PER, who after authoring a stunning career-high of TWENTY-NINE points in Sunday’s Game Seven, was relegated to seven points in over thirty-four minutes of action. Moving forward to tonight’s contest, Udoka’s charges should get a boost from the potential return of Smart, who has been listed as probable, though all signs point towards Horford missing another, for the timetable of putting together consecutive negative COVID tests puts the big fella at serious risk of missing out on Saturday’s Game Three as well. With that said, Smart’s return will ease the playmaking burden on Tatum and Brown, which was evident in their sixteen turnovers which parlayed to nineteen points for the home side. Tatum alone had six giveaways in that nightmare of a third quarter. However, don’t overlook the resilience of this group, for the Celtics are 3-0 after a loss in this postseason, winning those contests by an average margin of 15.0 points.
Meanwhile, the good fortune of the Heat (53-29, 1st in Eastern Conference) appears to be continuing in this postseason, for you would be hard-pressed to find another team in these playoffs that has been met with less resistance. With that said, we’re not trying to take anything away from Miami, who find themselves in their ninth Conference Finals in franchise history, and their second in the last three years, for they’ve been utterly ruthless in exploiting the misfortune of their opponents. After securing the no. one seed in the East, (Head Coach) Erik Spoelstra’s troops pounced on the Hawks in the first round, eliminating the play-in survivors with ease in five games. As if the disparity between the two sides wasn’t great enough, Atlanta lost (starting Center) Clint Capela early in the series to a sprained knee. It was a similar story in the next series against the Sixers, who were without (All-NBA Center) Joel Embiid for the first two games after the big fella suffered a fractured orbital bone and a concussion in the previous round of the playoffs and was nowhere near 100% when he returned in Game Three. And then, as we stated earlier, the news broke of Smart and Horford’s absence in Tuesday night’s opener as the Heat looked to once again take advantage of the situation. However, it didn’t appear like that was going to be the case, for Boston was clearly the better side in a first half in which the hosts were outscored 62-54. Despite shooting a stellar 48.8% from the field, Miami couldn’t stop a nosebleed as the visitors torched them on 59.1% shooting over the duration of the first half, while committing nearly as many turnovers (7) as assists (9). Now, we’d love to have heard Spoelstra’s halftime speech, because whatever he said clearly resonated with his charges, who EXPLODED in the third quarter, dominating the Celtics 39-14. Holding the visiting side to a miserable 2-of-15 shooting (13.3%), the home side went 11-of-22 from the field (50.0%), netting 14-of-17 attempts from the charity stripe (82.4%), with (All-Star Swingman) Jimmy Butler (21.4 PTS, 48.0% FG, 23.3% 3FG, 87.0% FT, 5.9 REB, 5.7 AST, 1.6 STL, 0.5 BLK, 23.6 PER) scoring SEVENTEEN points in the period on 4-of-5 shooting (80.0%) and 9-of-10 from the stripe (90.0%). This avalanche was characterized by a 22-2 run, which saw the Heat changing tactics and blitzing Boston on the perimeter, clamping down on the aforementioned Tatum and providing little to no space for the shooters. Granted, this is nothing new for a team that has OWNED the third quarter in these playoffs, outscoring their opponents by a whopping NINETY-THREE points in that regard. In the end, Spoelstra’s outfit shot 48.8% from the field, including 10-of-30 from beyond the arc (33.3%), managing to control the game from the free-throw line, where they shot a ridiculous 30-of-34 (88.2%), including 22-of-26 in the second half (84.6%). This is significant, because by getting to the stripe, you take away the other team’s potential of creating opportunities in transition, in turn affording yourself the luxury of getting back and setting your halfcourt defense, which is undeniably a strength for the Heat. It also makes up for their shortcomings in the halfcourt, where they oftentimes rely exclusively on the exploits of the aforementioned Butler, who as he has throughout this postseason, was in rare form with FORTY-ONE points on 12-of-19 shooting (63.2%), and a ridiculous 17-of-8 on free-throws (94.4%), along with nine rebounds and five assists. Twenty-seven of his points came in the second half, where he was in his proverbial bag, netting 8-of-11 attempts from the field (72.7%) and 11-of-12 from the stripe (91.7%). In eleven games during this playoff run, the 32-year-old has shown out with averages of 29.8 points on an efficient 53.5% shooting, along with 7.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.3 steals. However, he was far from alone in Tuesday night’s victory, (newly-minted Sixth Man of the Year) Tyler Herro (20.7 PTS, 44.7% FG, 39.9% 3FG, 86.8% FT, 5.0 REB, 4.0 AST, 0.7 STL, 16.2 PER) poured in eighteen points, eight rebounds, and three assists off the bench, while (unheralded duo) Max Strus (10.6 PTS, 44.1% FG, 41.0% 3FG, 79.2% FT, 3.0 REB, 1.4 AST, 12.7 PER) and Gabe Vincent (8.7 PTS, 41.7% FG, 36.8% 3FG, 81.5% FT, 1.9 REB, 3.1 AST, 0.9 STL, 10.6 PER) added eleven and seventeen points respectively, nailing a combined 6-of-15 from downtown (40.0%). As a team, Miami certainly made up for their lack of ball movement (18 assists) by getting to the line where they outscored the visitors (+6), while also manufacturing sixteen turnovers into nineteen points, thirteen of which came in transition. Again, this is crucial for the Heat, who cannot submit themselves to a halfcourt battle with Boston. Looking forward to Game Two, Butler & Co have yet to lose a single game at FTX Arena during this postseason, though they are dealing with some injuries of their own. (Veteran Guard) Kyle Lowry (13.4 PTS, 44.0% FG, 37.7% 3FG, 85.1% FT, 7.5 AST, 1.1 STL, 15.0 PER) has missed all but one of the last eight games with a lingering hamstring strain, with both Strus and Vincent listed as day-to-day with similar ailments of their own. It’s a legitimate question as to whether or not we’ll see Lowry at some point in this series, for the 36-year-old was a detriment to his side after trying to give it a go in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and hasn’t suited up since. With that said, his shooting, playmaking, and perimeter defense would g a long way towards alleviating Butler of that burden, which is precisely why the team went out and signed him in free agency last summer.