A combination of bad defensive execution and ridiculous Miami shot-making led to Boston’s demise on Wednesday night.
Three-point variance. That’s how the Boston Celtics took down the Miami Heat in Game 1.
Boston poured in 22 three-pointers to Miami’s 12, creating a 30-point gap in a game they ultimately won by 20. And if it weren’t for a 7/9 Heat surge from distance in the final frame, the difference would have been even greater.
Threes were a primary point of emphasis during the two-day break between games. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra knew that some of the math had to chance.
“I understand the math to it: You don’t want to lose in a certain area by 30 points,” Spoelstra said via ESPN. “It’s probably going to require some balance because we’re not going to bring them down to 25 [attempts], and we’re not going to shoot 50 of them — that’s not realistic.”
After Game 2 on Wednesday, the eeriness of that last line cannot be overstated. It was prophetic.
In Game 2, the Heat attempted 43 threes to the Celtics’ 32. Had Spoelstra chosen a less hyperbolic phrasing, he may have predicted Wednesday night’s exact outcome.
Miami did more than jack up 43 threes, though. They made 23 of them.
The record for most threes made in a playoff game is 25.
Their 53.5% shooting from distance is the sixth-best percentage in playoff history on at least 35 three-point attempts. Number three? Game 3 of the Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals last year when Miami shot 19/35 (54.3%).
“I tip my hat off to the Heat,” Jaylen Brown said after Game 2. “They shot the ball incredibly well. They put up more three-point attempts than we did tonight. They played with pace. They played faster. That was their response. They were able to get some good looks and knocked a lot of them down, which was tough.”
Over the past two seasons, the Heat have recorded four games against the Celtics where they shot 50% or better from beyond the three-point arc.
The most any other team has against a single opponent is one.
One.
Miami’s three-point shooting has been unfathomably elite against Boston.
“It’s a great question. Maybe a coincidence, maybe it’s not. Something that we got to figure out, honestly,” Jayson Tatum said when asked why the Heat shoot so well against the Celtics in particular. “They hit some tough shots tonight from the three-point line, some were open. Maybe some of those easier ones earlier in the game got them feeling more comfortable.
“Sometimes, those tougher shots become a little bit easier when you already got in rhythm. That’s something we’re going to talk about.”
Caleb Martin shot 5/6 from long range. Nikola Jovic went 3/4. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was 3/6 from distance. Tyler Herro nailed his threes at a 6/11 clip. Haywood Highsmith finished the night 3/5 from deep.
Everyone got in on the action for the Heat, but the Celtics made it easy for them. Their defense was so determined to guard the drive—Miami’s main source of offense in Game 1—that they failed to adjust to the adjustments that were being made right under their noses.
“Obviously, their adjustment [was] to shoot more,” Joe Mazzulla said. “So, we’re going to have to find a balance because a lot of those guys that made shots tonight are also good drivers, especially getting downhill. So, we’re going to have to find that balance of making sure we close out appropriately, but we don’t want to start opening up the other side of that. So, that will be the adjustment.”
Boston contested some of Miami’s made threes, but a large majority of them were a result of poor defensive execution and the Celtics’ willingness to live with some guys shooting.
Jaylen Brown let Jovic pull from three in favor of guarding the drives of other Heat players. Al Horford played back on Jaquez Jr., giving him room to pull up in his face. Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis sent two at the Tyler Herro-Bam Adebayo pick-and-roll, leaving Brown to guard to Heat shooters on the weak side.
Two things need to happen for the Heat to shoot as historically well from three as they did. One, they had to hit an absurd number of shots.
Check.
And two, the Celtics had to remain stuck in the mud in regard to their defensive execution.
Check.
“I think they’re well-coached, and I think that’s a credit to their coaching staff and organization,” Brown said. “They put together a good game plan for them, and they come out feeling confident, and they come out and execute. I think that’s what they do. And tonight was an example of that.”
Basketball isn’t played on one end of the floor, however. The Celtics’ defense left much to be desired, but a lot of their problems stemmed from subpar offense.
The Celtics have hunted mismatches all season long. Their offense was elite because they had so many talented players capable of creating crossmatches. But Miami goaded them into settling.
They let Herro take on matchups that looked juicy for Boston. They let the Celtics go one-on-one more often. They went away from their doubling defense that allowed Tatum to rack up a triple-double in Game 1.
As a result, the Celtics finished far too many possessions with a one-dimensional offensive play style. And when the shots ultimately didn’t fall, they were left scrambling on the other end, as they weren’t able to set their defense.
“When things like that are happening, it puts more pressure on your offense,” Mazzulla said. “Your offense has to be more efficient. Your offense has to be more effective. You have to look at the other side of the adjustment. “
The same can be said about the opposite. Miami’s high-level shot-making allowed them to set their feet on defense. Boston’s high-octane transition attack was whittled down to dust by the Heat’s relentless three-point shooting.
Because of that, the Heat were able to institute their defensive game plan: Take away the three ball.
After winning the three-point battle in Game 1, the Celtics had the script flipped on them, as Miami constantly chased them off the line and baited them into attacking mismatches on the interior.
“They switched, and they didn’t double as much,” Mazzulla said when asked why the Celtics only took 32 threes. “And they were a little bit later on their shift activity.”
Miami’s 33-point advantage from behind the arc gave the Celtics a taste of their own medicine. Now, Boston will head to South Beach with a whole new world of corrections to account for.
The Heat shot 34.5% on “open” threes (which the NBA defines as when a defender is four to six feet away) this regular season. In Game 2, they spit in the face of that number.
But there is nothing the Celtics can do now but learn and move on.
“I just thought they made a lot of shots that we’re normally comfortable with, but it’s the playoffs,” Brown said. “It is what it is. So, we got to adjust and play ball. So, we got to respond.”