With 22 seconds left in the 4th quarter, Butler hit a corner 3 to give the Heat a one-point lead, but, after a timeout, Derrick Jones Jr. committed an ill-advised foul off the ball before the Celtics had inbounded it. In overtime, Kemba Walker struck a stepback jumper with 23.2 seconds left before Butler and Adebayo saved the day for Miami.
Butler completed with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting, but the Heats crucial offensive gamer for much of the night was Goran Dragic, who had 29 points on 11-for-19 shooting. Miami outscored Boston 35-35 in the final frame and 11-8 in overtime.
Tatum scored 30 points on 10-for-24 shooting and Marcus Smart added 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting, however Walker shot 6-for-19 for his 19 points. Miami tried to take Walker out of rhythm with a combination of a 2-3 zone, trapping and switching. This time, it worked all right..
Here are 3 takeaways:.
1. Whatever it takes.
One of Miami coach Erik Spoelstras pet phrases is “whatever it takes.” When things do not go your way, he enjoys to talk about how playoff competition tests you and forces you to respond. Thats why I imagine that this will be his preferred win of the Heats playoff run. Miami was stuck in the mud early on, dealing with a defense that functions completely differently from Milwaukees. It stumbled once again offensively after halftime but persevered..
If you are sick of hearing about “Heat culture” and how much these gamers think in themselves, I totally understand. However they have actually purchased into all of that stuff, and no group picks up like this without a certain degree of self-assurance. Early in the second quarter, Dragic was the lone Miami gamer who was making anything take place, but down the stretch, just about everyone on the floor made essential contributions..
Once again, Jae Crowder penalized the challenger simply about whenever he was left open behind the arc. The forward finished with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-9 from deep. Tyler Herro made a pair of 3-pointers late in the 4th quarter, too, and the game-winning plays from Butler and Adebayo were a mix of smarts, strength and large force of will.
In his post-game Zoom conference, Spoelstra mentioned that Adebayo wasnt even in an excellent offensive circulation, but discovered a way to put his fingerprints on the video game anyway.
” That can be a poster dunk,” Spoelstra stated. “And a lot of people wont want, arent happy to make that play and put themselves out there when Jayson Tatum is getting to the launching pad. He just made a big-time save for us. Tatum did have an angle, and it looked like he had an open lane to the rim. And sometimes, when you have fantastic competition like this, you just need to make plays that you cant even really explain.”.
2. This Dragic things is not brand-new.
In the routine season, Goran Dragic balanced 16.2 points on 57.3 percent real shooting, with 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds. He played 28.2 minutes a video game as the Heats 6th male, however, per minute, he was as efficient as he was when he made the All-NBA Third Team in 2013-14 with the Phoenix Suns.
In the first two rounds of this years playoffs, Dragic averaged 21.1 points on 56.2 percent true shooting, plus 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 34.7 minutes. It might have felt like Dragic has actually reached another level recently, but really he has actually essentially preserved his level of play in a bigger function. Rather than having him run the show when Butler goes to the bench, Spoelstra has made defenses account for him, Butler and Adebayo at the same time from the opening suggestion, making each of them much more unsafe..
In the second quarter on Tuesday, Dragic scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, keeping the Heat afloat when the Celtics were strongly in control of the game. This bought Miami a little time and permitted the group to settle.
” It was really crucial since we could not get anything going,” Spoelstra said. And Goran was able to shake complimentary a couple of times and put some points on the board that just kind of gave us a little bit more self-confidence in that second quarter.”.
It wasnt almost as magnificent or unforgettable as the plays Butler and Adebayo made, however with three and a half minutes left in overtime, Dragic drew a foul on Boston big male Daniel Theis under the basket. The Heat had not scored yet in the additional frame, and the Celtics were up by 4 after a stepback jumper from Walker. Dragic not only killed Bostons momentum, however he also fouled Theis out of the video game..
” A lot of the general fans out there do not realize what a competitor he is and has been his entire career,” Spoelstra stated. “And Im talking about in the States but likewise overseas. And thats who Goran is.”.
3. The Celtics offense has actually returned to life.
This will probably get lost due to the fact that of the method the game ended, but, after 7 rock battles against the Toronto Raptors, Boston found some offending rhythm. The Celtics scored 116.5 points per 100 possessions in this loss, per Cleaning The Glass, which is much better than they managed in any video game in the second round and much better than their regular-season mark. That is no small task against a Heat group that has been sensational defensively throughout the playoffs..
Boston was blessed with some hot shooting from Smart, however the more meaningful advancement was the return of Tatums avoid 3-pointers. He shot 4-for-12 from deep, and the most significant number there is 12– unlike the series versus Toronto, in which he was typically hounded by smaller sized guards, Tatum was able to produce space versus Miami defenders with relative ease.
The Celtics have some things to figure out, primarily in regards to how they wish to deal with the 2-3 zone and Adebayos switches against Walker. In a general sense, though, their offense looked healthy, and if Gordon Hayward is back for Game 2 on Thursday, everything should be a bit simpler..
Butler assaulted the basket against Jayson Tatum and scored over his outstretched arms, making a foul at the same time and offering Miami a two-point lead with 12 seconds left. On the next ownership, Tatum drove versus Butler and opted for a dunk, but Adebayo fulfilled him at the rim and whacked the ball away. Tatum then missed out on a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Miami Heat swept the Indiana Pacers, shocked the Milwaukee Bucks and, in the opening video game of the Eastern Conference finals, stormed back against the Boston Celtics. Miami started the series on the wrong end of an 8-0 run and routed by as numerous as 13 points in the very first quarter, looking completely discombobulated on offense. It spent time, however, and in the end, got away with a 117-114 success in overtime after a clutch play from Jimmy Butler and an unbelievable block by Bam Adebayo.
The Miami Heat swept the Indiana Pacers, stunned the Milwaukee Bucks and, in the opening game of the Eastern Conference finals, stormed back versus the Boston Celtics. Miami began the series on the wrong end of an 8-0 run and routed by as numerous as 13 points in the first quarter, looking completely discombobulated on offense. Butler assaulted the basket versus Jayson Tatum and scored over his outstretched arms, making a foul in the procedure and offering Miami a two-point lead with 12 seconds left. Tatum scored 30 points on 10-for-24 shooting and Marcus Smart included 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting, but Walker shot 6-for-19 for his 19 points. Miami tried to take Walker out of rhythm with a combination of a 2-3 switching, zone and trapping.
