BSJ Game 2 Report: Heat 111, Celtics 105 - Miami takes over, Celtics fade down the stretch

Everything you need to know about Boston’s Game 2 loss to the Miami Heat, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics, especially Jaylen Brown, started out slow and disjointed but an 11-2 run to close the first and a 10-0 run to start the second gave them a 12-point lead. Miami switched to a zone after Jayson Tatum went to the bench and outscored Boston 26-10 after that to go up 4 at the half. They traded runs in the third but Tatum exploded for 15 in the quarter and Boston went on a 24-8 run to go up 9, with the lead settling at 8 heading into the 4th. The lead was actually 9 with 6:37 to play but Boston was outscored 24-9 the rest of the way. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Another late collapse: The Celtics didn’t make a field goal over the final 3:52. Tatum again had no made field goals in the fourth. Brown was 1-5. Miami dictated the pace and took complete control down the stretch while the Celtics fell apart, turned the ball over, missed shots, and gave up offensive rebounds. 

Can’t make shots: This is the downside of being a team that is so heavily reliant on 3-pointers falling. They shot 28.6% in this game and missed a bunch of shots that could have changed the course of this game. Brown had a disaster of a night, but only Derrick White (3-5) and Grant Williams (1-2) had respectable shooting nights from 3. 

In a big hole: It’s certainly not over, but Boston has left itself almost no margin for error moving forward. There's no more room to play around with leads. There's no more room for lazy plays. There's no more room for any of the infuriating things the Celtics typically do. 

TURNING POINT(S)

Jimmy Butler hit a shot in Grant Williams’ face and then the two went forehead-to-forehead in a heated back-and-forth. Boston hit just 2 shots after that exchange, shooting 2-10 while Miami went 6-10 and out-scored Boston 21-9. Boston turned it over 3 times and committed 6 fouls in that 6:22 stretch. Miami shot 6-10 and went to the line 10 times, hitting 9. 

I do want to take it back to the end of the third quarter, though, and talk about a critical stretch for Boston. Smart hit a 3-pointer to go up 11 with 2:39 to go. Robert Williams got a block on a Caleb Martin drive but Martin caught it and ended up getting a 3-pointer out of it. Malcolm Brogdon turned it over after that and Martin got a layup and suddenly the lead was only 6. This was a chance for Boston to go up big heading into the fourth quarter and the best they could do was an 8-point lead. Execute better down the stretch there and the fourth-quarter issue might never have happened.

SECOND GUESS

Robert Williams, who was pretty effective defensively, didn’t play until there were 14 seconds left in that final stretch. Miami got 3 offensive rebounds in that time, and Grant Williams was effectively targeted defensively multiple times. It feels like Rob could have made some kind of difference down the stretch. 

THREE UP

Jayson Tatum in quarters 1-3: He was so good that I thought he’d have to play a full 48. His final numbers were pretty good: 34 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 50% shooting overall, and 11-12 from the line. He was 3-10 from 3 so one more make from deep would have been a 50/40/90 shooting night. He did have 5 turnovers, which is part of a consistent issue with him late in games. 

Robert Williams: He was much more aggressive on both ends of the floor. He was pretty effective against Bam Adebayo. He wasn’t perfect by any stretch but he was a plus. 

Derrick White: He probably should have gotten more shots. He’s the only guy who was consistently hitting. And he played his typical defense, too. 

THREE DOWN 

Jayson Tatum in the fourth quarter: He hasn't made a bucket in either fourth quarter so far in the ECF. He continues to turn the ball over and not make the right plays. 

Jaylen Brown: A really tough night for him overall. At one point in the first half he was a -21 in a single-digit game. He was 1-7 from 3, shot 30.4% from the field, and ended up a team-worst -24. Just a rough game all around. 

Al Horford: He needs to make shots. Part of Boston's elite offense all season has hinged on him making 3-pointers. Now he's losing confidence, passing up looks, and those plays end up going badly for Boston. He has to make shots.

Grant Williams: I kind of wish he would have been pulled earlier in the fourth while he was still an “up” because he was for a while. He hit a big shot, was 4-6 overall, but then he was targeted over and over and over again in the fourth quarter and he just kept giving up bucket after bucket after bucket. 

TOP PLAYS

TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- I’m not a fan of Grant Williams talking smack to Jimmy Butler

I don't want to make this too big a deal because I do appreciate someone who is willing to stir things up on the court and have some kind of edge on a team full of guys who don’t really exude that. 

Williams getting up in Butler’s face? I don’t think Grant is the guy to go at Butler like that. 

“I like that. I'm all for that. It makes me key in a lot more,” Butler said after the game. “It pushes that will that I have to win a lot more. It makes me smile. It does. When people talk to me, I'm like, okay, I know I'm a decent player, if you want to talk to me out of everybody that you can talk to.

“But it's just competition. I do respect him, though. He's a big part of what they try to do. He switches. He can shoot the ball. I just don't know if I'm the best person to talk to.”

That's the best way to put it. I’m just not into giving Jimmy freakin’ Butler some added fuel. 

I do appreciate Grant’s willingness to get in there and mix it up, but that was just the wrong time for it. I didn’t fire up his team. It fired up the other one. 

- This isn’t anywhere near over 

This looks bad because it is bad. This is a tough spot to be in, but after the game, Tatum seemed unbothered. 

“It's tough. It's a challenge. I mean, it's no point in being up here sad and [expletive],” he said. “They came in and won two games. They played well, you give them credit. But we're not dead or anything. We got a great opportunity. I still have the utmost confidence, everybody has the utmost confidence. We just got to get ready for Game 3.”

When asked if Boston has the talent and will to win this series, he just smiled and said, “Yeah.” 

And he’s right. As pissed as you might be, he’s right. This team is capable of beating Miami four times in a row … but that's also why you’re pissed in the first place. Because if they do that, then you’ll just wonder why they couldn't just do it to start. 

They're not dead until they're dead. 

Next up: Boston travels to Miami for Game 3 Sunday night