Everything you need to know about the Heat's 106-101 win over the Celtics with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
Heat rally past Celtics to take 2-0 series lead: The Celtics blew a double-digit lead for the second straight game against the Heat, enabling Miami to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 107-101 win.
The Heat erased a 17-point deficit with a 37-17 third quarter and then managed to come back one more time against the Celtics in the fourth quarter with a 17-7 run to close the game and seal the win. Goran Dragic was sensational again with a team-high 25 points while Bam Adebayo added 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Miami six different Heat players in double figures.
It was Miami’s zone defense that stifled the Celtics offense in the second half though, limiting them to 41 points while leading them into 20 turnovers on the night, many of them of the unforced variety. Kemba Walker had a team-high 23 points while Brown and Tatum added 21 points apiece but it wasn’t enough for a Celtics team that melted down in the third quarter and again in crunch time. They only dished out six assists in the second half and were outrebounded by Miami 27-14 over the final 24 minutes.
The Celtics look to try to dig their way out of a 2-0 hole on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. in Game 3.
Zone defense sinks Celtics offense: The Celtics had plenty of success against the Heat zone in Game 1 but completely unraveled against it during the second half of Game 2. The team dished out just six assists as they attempted to beat the zone with plenty of dribble penetration that led to turnovers and poor decisions. Boston scored 25 points on 32 possessions against Miami's zone defense, according to NBA.com which is just 0.78 points per possession. That type of production left the C’s unable to keep pace with a high-powered Heat offense and puts all sorts of pressure on Gordon Hayward to help solve that riddle whenever he is cleared to return from a Grade III ankle sprain in this series.
Celtics locker room gets loud postgame: Marcus Smart was heard by multiple reports screaming at his teammates in the locker room with items being thrown against lockers before leaving the arena without speaking in the locker room. His teammates downplayed any kind of serious dissension after the game but it was indicative of a loss that featured a serious lack of hustle by the C’s at times for such a high stakes contest. “I mean, we’re 0-2,” Tatum said of the outburst. “I mean, we’re frustrated, but this is team sports. We’re not supposed to be happy we’re down 0-2, but nothing out of the ordinary, just talking about the game. It’s cool, got to get ready for the next one.”
TURNING POINT
The Heat erased a double-digit lead for the second straight game, this time using a 21-6 run to close the third quarter to help double up the Celtics 37-17 in the frame. It was the biggest negative point differential in a quarter all season for Boston and set the stage for a second straight loss for Boston.
TWO UP
First-quarter shooting: The Celtics came out of the gates red-hot in this matchup, knocking down 66 percent of their shots in the first quarter, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range with all five starters getting on the board. Boston managed 31 points but it could have been more if not for six turnovers.
Kemba Walker in the first half: The point guard snapped out of his shooting funk with a 14-point first half in just 14 minutes of action. He also made multiple 3-pointers for the first time since Game 3 against the Raptors, providing the scoring boost the C’s have been lacking at the point guard spot for the past few games.
TWO DOWN
Defending Duncan Robinson: The Heat sharpshooter got plenty of separation from Celtics defenders in the first quarter as he knocked down four of his first six attempts from 3-point range. He went on to go 6-of-12 from 3-point range on the night as the C’s lost contact with him at critical points.
Turnovers: The Celtics made all kinds of unforced errors all night and they piled up in the second half (12) to give them the most in a game (20) since the Sixers series. That combined with poor shooting after intermission (37 percent) led to a discombobulated offensive attack for the final 24 minutes.
INJURY REPORT
Romeo Langford saw just one minute of action in the first quarter before suffering a right adductor strain while attempting to defend Jimmy Butler. He did not return to the game after being declared doubtful.
TOP PLAY
Kemba brings us back to the playground for this one ? pic.twitter.com/UsblQByHxI
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 18, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Gordon Hayward has all kinds of pressure on him now: The Celtics will be facing long odds to come back in this series (only 7 percent of teams have come back from 0-2 deficits in NBA history) but there is a pretty important player who will be returning to the fold this weekend in Gordon Hayward. Getting thrown into a playoff game after a five-week absence following a serious injury is tough enough but the C’s need him more than ever in this series now as a potential shooting and passing threat against an effective Heat zone that kept the C’s offense out of rhythm for nearly the entire second half. The good news for the 30-year-old is that there is now a three-day gap between Game 3 (Saturday) and Game 4 (Wednesday) to buy him some extra recovery time (if he’s cleared). The Celtics could try to win Game 3 without him and hope he’s in a better place with a few more days of rest. However, given the meltdowns this team has experienced with turnovers and poor shot selection, some veteran composure is clearly needed within the rotation. The Celtics looked like they were a player short in a lot of areas tonight and Hayward’s versatility checks off a lot of those boxes if he’s anywhere close to 100 percent.
It’s hard to find a team-wide meltdown like this in back-to-back games of a postseason: It’s hard to find a game that fell apart in so many different ways for the Celtics this season. It started on the defensive end in the third quarter with C’s failing to offer help defense in the pick-and-roll which allowed Bam Adebayo to get hot. It continued with poor coaching choices (not calling timeouts, subbing in Enes Kanter when the defense was reeling in the second half) and poor offense sustained itself for virtually the entire second half against a Heat zone that forced Boston into careless mistakes. The Celtics came unraveled at the worst possible time and they looked like a young team that’s not ready to handle the pressure of the moment. This is far from a talent mismatch on paper or on the court but the intangibles between the two sides in closing time are not on the same level right now. The Celtics haven’t been able to play a full 48 minutes for most of the postseason and it’s putting their season on the brink yet again.