By now, a painful Celtics loss wants no explaining.
You wish to know what occurred? You already do.
Their offense was careless and meandering mid-game. Their opponent confirmed extra toughness or urgency on protection, the glass or each. Down the stretch, you guess the Celtics’ decision-making appeared like they’d gotten into the liquor cupboard at halftime.
And Friday evening’s Game 2 loss to Miami, nonetheless beautiful and nonetheless damning, was no exception.
Now, hearth away at Jayson Tatum for once more failing to make a fourth-quarter discipline aim if you would like. Or pillory Jaylen Brown for going 7-of-23 and ending a game-worst minus-24. Or sling arrows on the shooters who couldn’t pull the Celtics right into a sequence tie.
But the blame for Friday’s loss, and the sudden hazard of struggling a possible sweep within the Eastern Conference Finals, belongs with teaching.
The playoffs are about problem-solving. Coaching changes quarter to quarter, sport to sport, sequence to sequence. Yet afforded a whole season to handle the failings throughout the NBA’s deepest and most proficient roster, Joe Mazzulla and his workers have didn’t metal the Celtics into the most effective model of themselves.
Now, these flaws may change into deadly to their title hopes.
I imply, are you able to identify a single organizing precept of the Celtics’ offense after they’re underneath strain, a time and place the Heat thrive in? Just one? Is it searching below-average defenders by Tatum and Brown isolation performs?
If so, Duncan Robinson performed 21 minutes and completed plus-1 for the sport. Max Strus, regardless of taking simply six photographs, was a cushty plus-5.
“They’ve been able to hide some of their guys defensively to slow us down on offense,” Brown stated.
Trailing by three with 1:45 left, Brown drove into the paint with out a plan and whipped a move to the perimeter. The Heat tipped it, however Boston acquired fortunate and the ball discovered Al Horford. He hit Tatum, who drove straight right into a cost.
Miami ball.
A half-minute later, after the Celtics pressured consecutive misses throughout the identical possession, Heat star Bam Adebayo outworked their complete frontcourt for a put-back dunk to steer 105-100. The Celtics responded by lucking into fouls on a Tatum 3-point try to one other drive to nowhere, however solely after Tatum had dribbled off his foot after which Jimmy Butler’s.
Defensively, other than deploying Grant Williams — extra on him later — Mazzulla dared Miami’s Caleb Martin to shoot within the first half by loosely guarding him with Rob Williams, who roamed as a assist defender with one eye on the ball and the opposite on Martin. Mazzulla appeared like a genius initially, as Martin air-balled a 3-pointer within the second quarter a lot to the delight of the Garden crowd. But Martin’s play was louder with two 3-pointers and a reverse layup in that quarter alone.
He completed with 25 factors.
And but the Celtics may have survived his outburst, plus one other traditional efficiency from Playoff Jimmy Butler (27 factors, eight rebounds, six assists), have been it not for one more fourth-quarter meltdown as they blew an 11-point lead.
Gut-check time arrived with 4:57 remaining, when Adebayo canned two free throws to convey the Heat inside 4. Brown traveled on the following possession. Second later, Robinson, a punching bag for Miami followers, beat Brown again door for a layup. 98-96 Boston.
Then, Grant Williams missed a 3, Brown wrestled away an offensive rebound and predictably acquired stuffed within the face of a triple group. Miami didn’t punish the Celtics instantly, because of a Butler offensive foul at 4:06 left. But barely a minute later Butler tied the sport on a floater over Grant Williams after efficiently searching him on a change and clearing out the proper facet of the ground to feast on his prey.
Celtics slip late in Game 2 loss to Jimmy Butler and Heat, now in 2-0 sequence gap
Williams had requested for it, trash-talking Butler, essentially the most confirmed playoff performer on the ground Friday evening. But the trash speak is secondary to Williams being on the ground. Mazzulla allowed that to occur, hoping the barrel-chested ahead may cut up the distinction between a double-big lineup that protected Boston in opposition to Miam’s ferocious rebounding (the Heat grabbed 34.7% of obtainable offensive boards to the Celtics’ 18.6%) and supply sufficient taking pictures with fellow massive Al Horford to remain potent offensively.
Mazzulla failed on each fronts.
Prior to Butler’s game-tying jumper, Grant Williams spun round and round contained in the paint in opposition to Adebayo and compelled a nasty miss. After Butler’s make, Marcus Smart misplaced turnover, and Butler hunted Williams once more for a baseline shot.
Splash.
Brown’s aimless drive, Tatum’s fortunate whistles and butterfingers adopted. The Garden fell quiet, the preliminary silence of
Mazzulla acquired killed after Game 1 for failing to name timeouts to cease prolonged Heat runs. He referred to as some Friday. It didn’t matter.
The Celtics’ issues run deeper in opposition to a more durable, smarter, better-coaches groups. Tatum completed with 34 factors, 13 rebounds and eight assists, and it wasn’t sufficient. The Celtics couldn’t survive with out him within the second quarter — when Miami loved most of a 19-2 run with Tatum on the bench — and couldn’t rating with out his assist in the third.
No marvel he was gassed within the fourth. Tatum might have to go the space in Game 3, one thing he is by no means finished earlier than within the playoffs. This is the place, the dire, determined place, the Celtics discover themselves now.
To win in Miami, to reclaim this sequence, they need to present one thing they haven’t but. What are the chances?
Probably across the 3% probability ESPN analytics gave the Heat to win this sequence, a quantity that in contrast to Celtics losses this season, actually wants explaining.
Source: www.bostonherald.com