1. It’s always been said in at least a little jest that the best adjustment you can make in a playoff series is to come out and make half your threes, but after the HEAT literally did just that in three games during the Eastern Conference Finals last season, it’s not so much of a joke anymore.
After attempting just 14 threes in the first half of Game 1 while Boston launched 30, Miami has since been trying to correct that math problem and came out firing in Game 2, 14 of their first 18 shots coming from the arc, with eight makes, as they took a one-point lead after the first quarter. Adjustments also came on defense, Bam Adebayo starting out on Jayson Tatum and less help coming on Boston’s one-on-one attacks, but it was the shooting more than anything else that created any separation.
Things started to tilt Boston’s direction early in the second, Miami’s zone still struggling with five deadly shooters on the floor at all times, and you could feel things starting to slip a bit. Those feelings never lasted for more than a few moments, the HEAT always with a three in response – seven combined from Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin in the first half – to manage momentum. The HEAT’s increasing reticence to bring early defensive help was pushing down Boston’s catch-and-shoot looks, but the paint became more vulnerable as a result, Tatum and Jaylen Brown barreling down the lanes as the Celtics outscored Miami 28-10 in the paint. It remained Miami’s advantage, even with some turnovers going the other direction, but three straight Brown (33 points on 23 shots) threes to end the half stole the lead right back. Boston by three at the break despite Miami setting a new season high for threes in any half with 13.
More threes coming in the third, many of them quite open with Adebayo creating an open one for Herro in the corner with a tough screen, Haywood Highsmith on the catch at the top of the arc, a run-capping pick-six putting Miami up 10 with 4:10 remaining in the third. This time it was Jovic getting the backup five minutes, Boston’s offense stuck in the mud right until it wasn’t with Tatum getting going. Still just an 18-point quarter for Boston, Miami up to 19 threes for just the fourth time this season as they held on to a six-point advantage going into the fourth.
Boston kept slow rolling it on offense, missing good looks but initiating late in the clock, a pair of misses at the line from Tatum (28 points on 20 shots) a good illustration of how things were going for them. More threes for Miami, Highsmith and Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Delon Wright all off the catch, puts the HEAT up nine with five minutes to play. Down to six with 3:15 to play, Derrick White keeping Boston alive with a tough three over Adebayo, Herro in control with the ball in hands the whole way. Miami never wavered, Martin (21 points on 12 shots) sticking the shot of the night from the left wing for his fifth three, and this one didn’t even qualify for clutch designation. Miami takes it, 111-101, and ties the series with the next two in Miami.
2. We’ll get to the shooting in a moment, because it was unbelievably important, but first a note about the defense. Through the first two quarter Boston was just fine, their shooting coming and going but their interior attack pacing them, 17 rim attempts to Miami’s two, as they overtook the HEAT’s perimeter approach for that three-point lead at the break.
Slowly, in the second half, things started to shift. Those driving layups becoming short floaters and fallaway jumpers, shots that rimmed in rimmed out, early attacks bogged down as the Celtics held the ball, chasing matchups against the clock. With Adebayo on Tatum or Brown requiring time-killing actions to shake Adebayo off and generate a matchup, and Porzingis unable to post-up smaller players, Miami’s adjustment not to help as quickly and definitively on those one-on-one attacks played a big part. Even as Tatum and Brown scored, Boston wasn’t earning those defense-tilting opportunities that turn into so many threes, and as the game slowed down it worked more and more in Miami’s favor. In the end, for all the shots Miami made they only scored 53 points in the second half on their own. It was holding Boston to 40 in those final two periods, and just 32 attempts from three, that secured this one. Though of course all those run-stopping Miami makes helped, too, with Boston forced into the halfcourt.
3. Over the past two seasons, Miami now has four postseason games against Boston with at least 50 percent shooting from three. No other team has more than one such game, against anyone. That is, frankly, unbelievable. It was unbelievable when Miami rode that shooting to the NBA Finals last season, and it was unbelievable tonight, with such balanced shooting up and down the roster. And that’s what makes it such a cool sports story. This stuff isn’t supposed to happen, yet here is Miami, making it happen.
It'll be worth a deeper dive into Miami’s franchise postseason record 23-of-43 from the arc, five players hitting at least three including the youngsters Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic along with defensive stalwarts Highsmith and Martin, but for now there are a few points worth ruminating on. First, Adebayo (21 points on 13 shots) deserves a ton of credit for how his screens created good looks, especially for Herro (24 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 6-of-11 from deep), as does Herro who took the extra pressure Boston was throwing at him and finding the open spots in the defense when his pullup jumper wasn’t available. With 14 assists, there’s a case that this was the best playmaking game of Herro’s career.
There’s also a bit of schematic choice at play, just as there was last season. Last year Boston sagged off players like Martin and Martin punished them with an incredible series. Tonight, Boston wasn’t closing out hard on most shooters who weren’t Herro or Duncan Robinson (with a couple tough makes), their help off those shooters jamming up the paint for potential drives – Miami was 5-of-8 in the restricted area – but creating comfortable space to take advantage of. Last year Boston didn’t adjust their gambit much as they came back to force Game 7 only to get burned again by Martin in that same game. We’ll see how and whether they adjust to this performance, and what that might open up for Miami moving forward. On top of it all, Boston still chose to single cover Adebayo’s isolations, and Adebayo answered with four huge scores in the fourth, all in the upper paint and mid-range, as he capitalized.