A mix of analysis and observations on what helped turn the tide for Boston in Saturday's convincing win over the Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
1. Getting Bam Adebayo out of the paint: Rim protection is not a strength for Miami once you get beyond their All-Star center Bam Adebayo. Over the first two games of the series, the Celtics did not take advantage of that fact as much as they should, settling for 3-pointers and long jumpers when there were superior options available in the paint. With Adebayo serving as the only notable deterrent down low, Brad Stevens came up with a pretty good gameplan in Game 3: Get Adebayo out of the paint. It was apparent from the opening tip that this was a focus as Daniel Theis spent the C’s first offensive possession heading to the corner, forcing Adebayo to honor his 3-point range and limit him from camping out in good position to help on drives. The C’s took advantage with a pick-and-roll that opened a driving lane for Marcus Smart after a swing pass. Adebayo was too far away to help, opening up the finish for Smart.
aggressive early ?? pic.twitter.com/PYNlYIEhX8
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 20, 2020
Aggressive Jaylen Brown>>#Celtics pic.twitter.com/Un9hoc2kX0
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) September 20, 2020