With apologies, your author’s time is short while writing this takeaway. So, no clips and brief thoughts on the top 10 reasons the Boston Celtics lost Game 2 to Miami Heat. They are presented in the order in which I place the blame, but feel free to discuss in the comments. There is a lot of requisitions, rearrangements, removals, and replacements that can be done from this disastrous start to the Eastern Conference Finals.
1. Boston was outgunned, outwitted, and outgunned in intensity throughout the game. Miami has been quicker with the ball and really seems like they want it more. But the Heat are also executing at a high level while the Celtics are not. And Erik Spoelstra, as feared as he was, runs circuits around Joe Mazzulla, while his veteran group runs his schemes on offense and defense to perfection.
2. The Celtics’ clutch offense was a disaster again. In the final five minutes, Boston went 1-for-7 from the ground, with three turnovers.
For the fourth quarter as a whole, the Celtics shot 7 of 18 with four turnovers.
Complete and utter chaos during prime time. once again.
3. Jaylen Brown had a game disaster. He shot 7 of 23 and never found any kind of rhythm. Even worse, Brown was forced to fire, apparently trying to spark himself.
Brown was also a mess on defense. On four different occasions, Brown has been on a very different page than his teammates. At one point Marcus Smart and Al Horford let him have it after Caleb Martin got three goals wide open. Brown also lost open shot breakers on the inside, as well as made some bad mistakes because he fell behind.
This was arguably the worst playoff game the Browns had ever played in, given the stakes.
4. Joe Mazzulla chose to close with Al Horford and Marcus Smart in a game where they were a combined 3 of 10 from the ground, including 1 of 6 from behind the arc.
After the match, Mazzola points out that these are his comrades. And that’s fair. Most veteran trainers will give a very long hold and stick to it.
But Rob Williams, after a rocky start, was having a great game at both ends of the earth. Derek White has also played a great role. Those two were supposed to close out the game, with Horford and Smart on the bench.
5. Miami spent almost the entire fourth quarter playing zone defense for the game. It appears to be a floating 3-2 zone, which effectively works as a 4-1 zone. Bam Adebayo stayed on at the time, while the other four defenders pressed up the arc and beyond. When the ball goes to one side, the opposite defender pinches the nail.
It’s very well executed, and Boston never solves it for a good look. Instead of being patient, sending the ball to the wing and corner, Boston constantly tried to push the ball through the middle. These forces caused fluctuations and hasty firing of late.
6. Boston’s off-the-ball defense was really bad the whole game. We’ve already contacted Jaylen Brown, but he wasn’t the only culprit. Duncan Robinson’s Derrick White lost three teams in cuts to punts, and Robinson made two of them once he fumbled the pass.
Max Strus is very good at changing the cutting angle. He was able to shake often when Marcus Smart or Malcolm Brogdon, and sometimes Brown or White, tried to cheat and take a shortcut to where they thought Strauss was going.
Time and time again, Al Horford and Rob Williams dipped in the assist defense and lost Bam Adebayo as they slipped behind them to easy shots on the edge.
It was one of the most chaotic defensive performances we’ve seen from Boston. This was not one of those offerings that are so effortless and easy to spot. It was a good effort from the Celtics. This was more subtle but it screamed a lack of focus and execution.
7. The Heat grabbed 11 offensive rebounds. This included some big characters late in the game. Once again, Boston failed to finish its possession with the stoppage. It was a season-long problem that reared its ugly head again.
8. Transitions were also a problem again. Boston had 15 of them, many of them unforced. Nine of the fifteen were live balls, resulting in some easy transitional hoops for Miami.
9. Yes, we have Grant Williams going head-to-head with Jimmy Butler (literally) that’s low on the list. Should Williams have stabbed the bear? Mostly not. But Butler went 3 of 6 with a spin after that happened.
Maybe Butler will do that no matter what happens in the fourth quarter. This is actually kind of a hum for him along the stretch. It’s not like he turned on Michael Jordan and scored 20 points over the last six minutes of the game. He did what he does in a clutch.
Also, at least Williams was showing some fighting. He was ready to get rid of it and get into it. That’s a lot more than can be said for most of his Celtics teammates in Game 2.
10. Jayson Tatum had another pedestrian fourth quarter. He only took three shots from the ground and missed them all. He also had two spins.
Tatum also had three assists, as Miami loaded an extra defender for him in the game zone they were sitting in. Therefore, he was not completely uninvolved.
Yes, Tatum has to be better. He needs to find a way to get shots, but that has to come with the help of his teammates and his coach.
And let’s not overlook that he had 34 total points, to go along with 13 rebounds and five assists. The fourth quarter could, and should have, been better, but Jason Tatum was way too far down the list of reasons why the Celtics lost Game 2.
Well… that is. Game 3 is the season. There is no going back down from 0-3. This is not a baseball game where the momentum is only as good as the next starting pitcher. It’s not hockey where the goalie can get hot. You might win a game, or even two, but not win a series after falling behind 0-3.
Bear Celtics player play by radio Sean Grande, nine teams have fallen 0-2 in the playoff series and are still back in the NBA title. Only once has one of those two teams trailed 0-2 with both losses coming back at home.
So, the Celtics are going to need to make some history here. It all starts with Game 3 in Miami on Sunday night.