Given the general reaction to the opening round of the series, you would have thought that the Miami Heat’s 22-2 run, which began its third quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, lasted two years.
Public opinion calculated those six minutes for the extension of the 2020 Conference Finals, as if the Celtics were the same team bullied by the bubble. It’s as if they had swept Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets and didn’t eliminate Janis Adetokumpo’s defending champion Milwaukee Bucks in Round 7.
Even heat star Jimmy Butler said, “From now on, quarterly,” as if Celtics counterparts Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown forget how to play basketball again after Game 1. I’m looking forward to that. “
Only Smart and Horford returned to defensively choke the heat, Tatam and Brown rediscovered their stardom, and Boston was bold after one bad quarter in Game 1 of the Best of Seven series. Reminded everyone not to make assumptions. 127-102 wins in Game 2.
“It wasn’t surprising that we were well guarded by the Celtics,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka.
The Celtics turned the early 10-point deficit on Thursday into an 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter. They pushed the margin to 70-45 in half-time, leading 34 points in the second half. Miami starters never saw the court in the fourth quarter and prioritized an additional 48-hour road game 3 break.
“They came out and hit us in the mouth, and we didn’t know how to react,” said Bam Adebayo of Miami.
Butler’s disputation has been lost.Top 5 NBA players as soon as the postseason begins“. Even if he finishes the night with 29 points, most of it has already been settled. No one was singing Butler’s praise when he shot 29.7% and Bucks swept the heat in the first round of last season. His 41 points and 17 free throws in Game 1 on Tuesday were as remarkable as they were unsustainable.
There was no talk about Adebayo’s hanging at the Celtics. It started with Tatam’s block, which won the game in Game 1 of the 2020 East Final, and resurfaced in Brown’s wedge block during the third quarter of Game 1 in this series. .. Boston got everything he wanted aggressively in Game 2. Tatam and Brown scored 51 points in 30 shots, leading the six Celtics in double digits with a 51% shoot knight.
In the NBA, things change year by year, game by game, and even quarterly.
The Celtics are 34 points ahead of the heat within six minutes to start the third quarter of Game 1. They scored 121.2 points per 100 possessions against Miami over the two games and wondered what the heat would look like with that sound defense. A manufacturing point that goes beyond Butler’s aggression.
“It was clear that after Game 1, eight of the 16 turnovers in the third quarter, 39-14, had a lot of aggressive rebounds and Butler reached the free throw line.” , Udoka describes the team’s reaction in Game 2. “It was clear that they were a more physical and aggressive team.” Look at three-quarters and be optimistic about what you did there, “we said. If a team comes out and intends to hustle you … we can match its strength. We’re proud to be one of the tougher teams, so we knew if we were in good shape tonight. I didn’t have to say much. Everyone saw it. “
Be careful when making the opposite decision after Game 2. The series is still a draw and Boston took advantage of the home court on Thursday, but if the series goes this far, Miami will host Game 7.
Overall, through the two games, the Celtics looked like the best team in the NBA for six months. Their healthy rotation was lost in one possession in the second half of the regular season, and Derrick White missed Game 2 in Miami for the birth of his first child. They have outperformed their opponents with 13.5 points per 100 possessions since January 6th. The gap between their top defense and Miami’s second-rated outfit is the difference between heat and 16th-rated defense.
“That’s the purpose of our team,” Horford said. “We’re talking about this in January when we actually started to understand it and create its identity and how we played. That’s what we are.”
The Celtics are certainly tougher than they were two years ago. After losing in the playoffs, they were 4-0 and won these games with a total of 69 points. They made Durant 13% lower than his regular season shoot rate in the first round and Antetokunpo 10% lower than him in the second round. It’s hard to imagine Butler maintaining 63% of the clips in the two games, but that may not be enough.
“The NBA has really good players and talented teams, but the signs of a good team are especially after the tough team loses,” Tatam said. “It only shows the character of the group. We did a really good job most of the year to deal with severe losses and situations.”
Health, which looked like a problem for the Celtics in Game 1 when Smart was nursing a sprained leg and Horford was stuck with the COVID-19 protocol, is now a serious problem for the heat. Kyle Lowry’s hamstring missed eight games in the playoffs, and PJ Tucker injured his knee on Thursday’s injury.
Concerns about Heat’s entry into the conference finals, including the defense of Tyler Herro and the ability of Max Strus, Namdi Vincent and Caleb Martin to perform on this stage, remain as the series heads to Boston. increase. If they want to avoid returning to Miami 3-1 they will need much more from Butler’s support cast.
Again, it’s important to note that the series is decided after one blowout, whether it’s a quarter or a game.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Do you have a hint? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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