The Celtics are getting outworked.
That's the long and the short of it. The Celtics, when it matters most, in close fourth quarters, are getting out-hustled and outworked at just about every level of basketball.
In the fourth quarter of Game 2, the Celtics gave up 22 shot attempts and 36 points to get out-scored by 14 points in the quarter and by 15 over the final 6:37. They were out-rebounded 14-4, and 4-1 on the offensive boards.
Once again, the story is about misguided effort and mistakes.
I use the term “misguided” effort for a reason. I think we get too caught up in the misnomer of Boston not trying. I think they do try a lot more than people think, it’s just in the wrong places. For example, this offensive rebound by Caleb Martin.
Grant Williams is on Martin, Robert Williams is covering Kyle Lowry. And when Lowry shoots, both Willamses contest the shot. Why? Why would Grant Williams willingly leave his guy to contest a covered player, and a guy who had been struggling?
Who knows? Did Grant Williams try there? Yes, he was putting in effort. Was it in the right place? Nope.
That's not to say the Celtics are always exerting maximum effort. They need to put more focus on getting back in transition, which is something I said after Game 1. I’m trying like hell to not write the same piece after Game 2, but plays like this can’t happen.
Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo both start at the same spot on the floor. Tatum has to know he’s the last Celtic back and he can see that Adebayo is streaking up the floor, so to see them disappear on the screen only to reappear with Adebayo a step ahead can’t happen. Of course he gets the dunk, because that's what Boston deserved.
The Celtics can’t continue to put themselves in these positions. The effort has to be constant and focused. The Celtics can’t let Miami’s intense, swarming defense slow them down. As I said from the beginning of this series, the best way to negate all of this is to play defense and run.
“Get stops, play faster, get out early transition,” Joe Mazzulla said. “We just have to play with a sense of pace in the half court as well, whether it's against him switching or other defense. When we play with pace in the half court and transition, we’re really able to get those opportunities.”
Pace has been an issue for Boston for a while now. The Celtics are routinely walking the ball up late in games and starting possessions with 14 seconds on the shot clock. There is little probing the defense or forcing quick cross-matches by pushing the ball up the floor. And when they do it, they're doing it with that misguided effort.
Great move by Brown to dive into the teeth of the defense and draw five. Bad move to try too hard to make the basket over the entire Heat defense when he had guys wide open.
The Celtics have to be aware of not falling for the “good shots” when great shots are available. Miami is being overly aggressive in trying to attack Tatum and Brown, and the Celtics are letting them off the hook. For example:
That's a good shot for Tatum. He eliminated one defender with the fake, got to an open spot, and took a shot that he hits often.
But at the same time, he’s eliminated one guy, has another closing down on him, and the Celtics have an advantage. This scenario is no different than when the Celtics are looking for Tatum to create advantages by drawing double teams.
Look at Al Horford in the middle of the zone.
With Brown at the top and Adebayo occupied with the dangerous Horford in that spot, the Celtics have a very easy backdoor cut by Malcolm Brogdon developing. Tatum took a good shot, but getting the ball into the middle of the zone creates the chance for a great shot by a baseline cutter. It worked on this play:
Even if Brogdon doesn’t get the layup because Miami recovered, it opens up an even more wide open 3-pointer by Brown rotating down to a high-opposite spot for an eaaaaaaaasy catch-and-shoot opportunity.
Miami is great at playing zone, which is why I highlighted it in the series preview. But zones are only used sporadically because they can be broken by smart plays. Boston has use Miami’s effort against them. Keep moving the ball because each shot opportunity pulls one more guy out of position, making the next pass a chance to get to a better shot.
I’m not saying to pass up open looks, but if someone is aggressively closing out, this is a chance to destroy the zone defense because the next guy will have to pull out of position to challenge the shot. At the very least, there's nothing wrong with stepping into an in-rhythm 2-pointer.
It’s about focused effort from the start in Game 3 tonight. Do it for a full game and use Miami’s effort as a way to pull the zone defense apart at the seams and this could be a step towards evening the series.
