The Celtics entered Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals down 0-3 and on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs. The Celtics were mostly competitive in the first two games, holding leads in both games but fading to lose Game 1 123-116 and Game 2 111-105. But in Game 3, the Celtics were never competitive and looked like they had already given up early in the first quarter. They never got into a fight, trailing by 33 points at one point in the match.
A team that is down 0-3 has very little hope based on league history. 149 teams are down 0-3 in the playoffs all time. Since 1984 when the NBA went to a 16-team playoff format, 110 teams have gone 0-3 in a series. Of the 149 teams overall and 110 teams since 1984, no team has come back from losing 0-3 to win a playoff series. Going from 0 to 3, you might say, is the kiss of death for playoff hopes.
But the Celtics are not ready to give up. Taking blame for the Game 3 collapse, Joe Mazzola said he trusted his players to pull this off. The Celtics aren’t out yet, Al Horford said, and if they can find their defensive DNA again, they have a chance. Jaylen Brown said that they will fight to the end and that they need to go out and play with pride. Celtics fans wouldn’t want anything more than to see the team find that defensive identity and show some fighting.
There is a precedent for Boston coming back from a 0-3 deficit, despite the lack of a Celtics team. in 2004, Boston Red Sox Face the opponent New York Yankees in ALCS. They lost the first 3 games of the series and were trailing in the 9th inning of the 4th inning. They came back to win the last 4 games of that series and then went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals at World Championship to win the title. Along with this Red Sox team, 4 hockey teams have recovered from being down 0-3 in the playoffs to win the title. But, no team in the NBA has accomplished this feat.
After a brief stint in the starting lineup as Joe Mazzola brought back the big double, Robert Williams was again sent to the bench to start Derrick White again in the third game. I’m not sure what he’s going to do in this game. It’s not like either option was very successful. Although at least the games where the Timelord started were competitive, unlike Game 3 where they had no combat at all. I’m going to guess White is going to start again in this game in favor of big single lineups.
Although several of the Celtics, including Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, appear to have been hit in one form or another, the only one on the injured list is Danilo Galliari who is still out while rehabilitating a torn ACL. For the Heat competition, Victor Oladipo missed the season after undergoing surgery on the patellar tendon in his left knee. Tyler Herro was also stayed out after breaking his middle and ring finger on his right hand in the first round of a series against Milwaukee. In addition to these two, Kevin Love is listed as a prospect with a lower leg injury.
Potential Celtics appetizer
PG: Marcus Smart
Secretary General: Derek White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jason Tatum
A: Al Horford
Celtics reserves
Malcolm Brogdon
Grant Williams
Sam Hauser
Peyton Pritchard
Luke Cornet
Blake Griffin
Mike Muscala
Robert Williams III
2 players way
JD Davison
Mviondo Capangel
out / injuries
Exit by Danilo Gallinari (ACL).
Coach
Joe Mazola
Potential heat appetizers
PG: Gabe Vincent
SG: Max Stress
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Kevin Love
A: Bam Adebayo
heat reserves
Odonis Haslem
Haywood Highsmith
Nikola Jovic
Kyle Lowry
Caleb Martin
Duncan Robinson
Cody Zeller
Omar Yurtseven
2 players way
Jamal Cain
Drew Smith
injuries
Tyler Hero (hand)
Victor Oladipo (knee) is out
Coach
Eric Spoelstra
major matches
Jason Tatum vs. Jimmy Butler
Butler has played very well in this series so far and has been a thorn in the Celtics side so far in this series. He wasn’t as dominant even in Game 3 as he was in Games 1 and 2. He finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. He shot only 38% from the field and was 0-1 with 3 made. But, the role played was that the players stepped up to match the Heat and didn’t need a dominant Butler. Tatum has struggled in the fourth quarter in all three games so far. But he struggled for the entirety of Game 3, finishing with only 14 points while shooting 33% from the field and hitting only 1 of 7 3-pointers. The Celtics need more of him on both ends of the field in order to win. Even if Jaylen Brown starts at small forward, the key match is between the two superstars.
Al Horford vs Bam Adebayo
In Game 1, Adebayo had 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal. In Game 2, he finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists. Like Butler, he had a very quiet Game 3, finishing with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He is dangerous around the basket to score and grab rebounds. The Celtics need to keep him off the paint as well as off the plates. When he is aggressive, he can be a big problem.
honorific
Celtics roleplayers vs. heat roleplayers
Even with the Heat’s stars in quiet games, roleplayers have stepped up and run with the game. Gabe Vincent starred in Game 3, finishing with 29 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He shot 78.6% from the field and 66.7% outside the arc. Caleb Martin finished with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. He shot 63.6% from the field and 57.1% from outside the arc. Duncan Robinson finished with 22 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 63.6% from the field and 71.4% from outside the arc. It is very clear that the Celtics have never played defense. The Celtics need their role players to step up in this game and support the efforts of their stars, especially on the defensive side.
game keys
defense Defense will always be the biggest key to winning every game and it’s even more important in the playoffs. And the defense has been the Celtics’ biggest flop in all three games so far. When the Celtics play strictly on the defensive side that usually leads to a strong offense but with the absence of that defense the Celtics offense has also been held back. The Celtics allowed the Heat to shoot 56.8% from the field and 54.3% from beyond the arc in game three. Most of the Celtics who spoke after Game 3, including the coach, admitted their defensive identity was missing. The Celtics have to play better defense this game, especially in the fourth quarter, if they want to win.
recovery – As with defense, rebounding will always be the key to victory. A lot of rebounding is effort and hustle and when the Celtics put that extra effort into grabbing rebounds, it usually translates to other areas of the game as well. The Celtics were out rebounding in both Games 1 and 2. However, they outscored the Heat 57-35 in Game 3 with 21 of those rebounds on offense. This was due in part to the Celtics missing so many shots and heat logging most of their shots. The Celtics have to work harder on the boards than the Heat and win the rebound battle if they want to win this game.
Take care of the ball – In all three games so far, the Celtics have been skittish with the ball and turned it over a lot. In Game 1, they had 15 turnovers for 22 Heat points. In Game 2, they again hit 15 turnovers for the Heat’s 20 points. In Game 3, they again had 15 turnovers for the Heat’s 18 points. They have to make clear passes and be aware of defenders who are good at getting into passing lanes. They must be careful when touching the ball, not dribble in a crowd, and not be slack with the ball. They simply have to focus more on avoiding staff fluctuations.
Be aggressive The Celtics must be the most aggressive team. For the first three games, they let Heat be more aggressive and play with more energy and effort. The Celtics should be more aggressive in driving to the basket, diving for loose balls, in boxing and chasing rebounds, and they should be the team that plays the most aggressively. The Celtics, in particular, should be more aggressive on defense. They have to have each other’s backs and they have to play smart team defence.
Stay focused Much of the Celtics’ problems can be attributed to a lack of concentration. Shooting 29% from outside the arc in playoffs shows a lack of focus on hitting right shots and focus on hitting those shots. Nor did they show any focus on playing defense. Their transformations also show a lack of focus on touching and passing the ball. The Celtics must enter this game focused and maintain that focus throughout the game. The Heat are in the Celtics Chiefs and they need to focus on playing the game right, playing hard, and playing defense.
X-factors
On the road The Celtics are playing on the road for the first time in this series. They need to get past the distractions of travel and away from their homes and families and they need to avoid being disturbed by the hostile crowd. The Celtics need to set that up and play their game the right way. They’ve played better on the road than they’ve played at home so far in the playoffs and they need to focus on the road in this game.
training Joe Mazzola has come under a lot of scrutiny for his lineup decisions, his lack of time-outs, and other coaching decisions he’s made. He blamed the Celtics for not pitching in Game 3. There were calls from fans and analysts alike for the Celtics to fire him after the season. Spoelstra has clearly gained the upper hand in this series so far. Can Mazzola prove the doubters wrong and lead his team to victory in this match?
verdict – Efficiency is always an x factor in every game. Every crew works differently. Some call it cramped, others let it play. Some prefer the home team. Some prefer the road team. Some just make bad calls, head scratching. Sometimes administrators have an agenda of some kind. The Celtics need to adapt to the way referees call the game and not let bad calls and no calls put them out of the game or affect their focus. The Celtics simply must stop complaining about every single call. Focus on playing the game, not on the officials.