The story is this: the Celtics, Heat and the formula to beat Boston.
Three days after dominating the Heat in their Game 1 victory on Sunday, the Celtics returned to the floor on Wednesday night and faced an all-too-familiar formula. Miami extended its defense to pressure the ball and defend the 3-point line. The Celtics had to find another way to win. The result was a 111-101 Miami victory that evened the series at a game apiece and further fortified the belief that the Celtics are a classic front-running team that may still fail to grasp the foundational concept of professional sports.
Championships are not handed out like participation trophies.
They’re earned.
“I just thought they made a lot of shots that we normally feel comfortable with,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said after the defeat.
We can only wonder whether he asked why.
And lest there be any doubt, the why is what matters. Back during the regular season, we showed you a still image of what the Philadelphia 76ers defense looked like against the Celtics on Feb. 27, when the Celtics claimed a 117-99 win at the Garden. Playing without Joel Embiid, Philly coach Nick Nurse challenged the Celtics to win the game with something other than the 3-pointer. The Celtics ended up taking just 22 3-pointers in the victory,. something for which they were universally celebrated.
Philly’s game plan looked like this:
Philadelphia’s defense against the Celtics on Feb. 27.
So what did the Heat do last night? With Jimmy Butler out, Miami extended its defense to the perimeter and essentially dared the Celtics to put the ball on the floor and go to the rim. The obvious difference? Miami still has Bam Adebayo, one of the best defenders and rim protectors in the league. And by getting the Celtics to dribble, Miami slowed the game down and forced the Celtics into isolation play, eliminating the ball movement that makes the Celtics impossible to defend. (The Celtics got stagnant and acquiesced.) As a result, Miami held Boston to 40 points in the second half – yes, 40 – to strip the Celtics of the home-court advantage they worked all season to obtain.
Here’s a photo of the Miami defense, noting that Adebayo was still in a position to help at the rim:
Miami’s defense against the Celtics last night.
Pretty much looks the same, doesn’t it?
Now, the obvious question: wait, why did the philosophy fail when Philadelphia used it but work last night when employed by the Heat? And that is a more complicated question. For starters, the Heat have better shooters and made more shots. (Miami went 23-of-43 from distance last night while the Sixers went 12-of-42.) But before we fall back on Brown’s explanation for last night’s defeat – “I just thought they made a lot of shots that we normally feel comfortable with,” he said – the Celtics need to take a hard look at their flaws.
Defense and pace
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 24: Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat looks at his bench after making a three-point basket against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter of game two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at TD Garden on April 24, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Know what the biggest difference was from Game 1 to Game 2? Pace. The Celtics controlled it in Game 1. The Heat controlled it in Game 2. Both were able to do so with pressure at the defensive end. Go back and look at how the Celtics defended in Game 1, particularly in the early going. The Boston defense was the catalyst for a frantic pace, which created the uptempo game in which the Celtics thrive. Ball movement, Open shots. A barrage of 3s. The Heat can’t play at that tempo as surely the Celtics don’t want to play slowly. The Celtics’ defensive intensity in their game was lacking. It was a half-assed, half-hearted approach. And then they acted like Miami just made shots.
Coaching
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 21: Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, right, and Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla look on during the second half of game one of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at TD Garden on April 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
A commonality between the Sixers and Heat? Coaching. The Sixers have Nick Nurse and the Heat have Erik Spoelstra – and each has won a title. Both have the wherewithal to diagnose the opponent and make the Celtics play a game that they don’t really want to play. Know who else did this to the Celtics? The Nuggets and head coach Mike Malone (another title winner), who similarly controlled the pace against Boston. Where Philadelphia and Miami controlled the pace of the game with defense, the Celtics often try to do it solely on the offensive end. And this is when they usually get into trouble.
The Celtics are soft(ish)
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 24: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics loses the ball after running into Nikola Jovic #5 of the Miami Heat during the third quarter of game two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at TD Garden on April 24, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Look, everybody knows it. Jayson Tatum doesn’t like contact. Neither does Kristaps Porzingis (who was a minus-32 last night). Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are tougher, but the real problem is Tatum and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Brown. When the game slows down, both lapse into isolation ball and the Celtics go from having 4-5 weapons on the floor to having two. Tatum and Brown last night combined for 61 points and the Celtics lost by 10. By eliminating the pace (and space), Spoelstra effectively took Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard out of the game.
In terms of physicality and assertiveness, Brown isn’t a problem. (When Caleb Martin hammered Tatum at the end of Game 1, Brown is one who got in Martin’s face.) Tatum quickly got up and walked to the free throw line. During Tatum’s career in Boston, how many times have you seen him generally angry? It doesn’t really happen. That is not a criticism so much as it is a statement of fact. He’s professional, easygoing, mild-mannered. Opponents use that against him.
One final thing: as soon as you see Tatum start complaining to the officials, it’s a sign he’s frustrated and/or rattled. He’s been able to do pretty much whatever he wanted on the basketball court for his entire life. When he gets resistance, he flusters.
And as is often the case in the NBA, the Celtics go as their best player goes.
