BSJ Game Report: Heat 111, Celtics 101 - Record shooting night gives Heat Game 2 win, home court advantage

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' loss to the Heat in Game 2 of their opening-round series, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

Miami came out firing, hitting 8-15 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a one-point lead. Jaylen Brown dropped 15 in the second quarter, 11 of them in the final 1:55 to help Boston retake the lead at the half. Miami went on a huge run to start the third quarter and built a lead as high as 12 as the 3-pointers kept falling, but Boston was able to cut it to six heading into the final quarter. They didn’t make much progress after that, never getting the lead below five. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Flipping the math: Miami lost the 3-point shooting by 30 in Game 1, but then won it by 33 in Game 2, setting a team record along the way. I’m tempted to say the Heat won’t be setting team records every game against Boston, but …

Miami's 23 3-pointers is a team playoff record. Miami now holds home-court advantage.

- No help: The Celtics got 28 combined points from Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday. Porzingis was brutal, going 1-9 from the field, 0-4 from 3, for just six points and a -32. Porzingis is supposed to be the safety valve for the offense.

- Familiar feeling: It’s hard not to get that feeling of familiarity watching this game. Miami had a fairly predictable series of adjustments to make -- letting it fly from 3, making Bam Adebayo a roamer, going with a 3-2 zone -- and they made them all very successfully. The Celtics responded by missing shots and turning the ball over. 

TURNING POINT

The game was tied at 67, and then Miami went on a 15-3 run late in the third to take a 12-point lead they’d never relinquish. Boston made some pushes and kept the game within a few possessions the rest of the way, but they never got the stops they needed. 

THINGS I LIKED

- I’m going to take a second look and I’m sure it’s not going to feel as bad, but I’m not really feeling like anything stood out as overly positive. Tatum and Brown combined for 61, but only 22 of that came in the second half. I thought the end of second quarter burst was great, but they didn’t build on that at all after the break. Derrick White woke up in the fourth quarter to score nine points, but it was too little too late. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Letting Miami get comfortable: There were stretches of this game where the Celtics really pressured the ball well and that led to some stops and scoring opportunities. But it felt like the Celtics were too content with the “we’re okay with this guy shooting” mentality and it burned them. As I said in the preview, the Celtics can’t just let guys shoot without some kind of challenge. Once Miami’s shooters felt good about themselves, there was no shutting off that water.

- Kristaps Porzingis: This series is why they got Porzingis. They need him to burn Miami and he was completely ineffective. He couldn't hit anything and the Celtics had trouble even feeding him the ball. 

“I think we've gotta be more creative,” Tatum said. “The playoffs are about making adjustments game to game, and they did that. They're not just going to let us catch the ball, they're not just going to let us throw it to KP easy. They're supposed to try to mess things a little up, and make it a little bit tougher. So it's our job to react in real time, as well as make our adjustments going from game to game."

If there's any concern coming out of this game, it’s how they covered Porzingis and whether that carries over. If they can take him out of this series, then the Celtics are going to have a very tough time.

- Jrue Holiday: The whispers of “playoff Holiday” are getting louder. His shot selection can get frustrating sometimes, but it’s more his inability to finish around the rim so far in this series that stands out to me. He finally got a couple to fall and hopefully that gets him going because he’s been smokin’ so many bunnies that PETA is about to protest these games. 

- Joe Mazzulla: I think he should have rolled with Tatum and adjusted his sub pattern to pull Brown at the 6:30 mark while Tatum was rolling. Normally, I don’t care about things like this, but I think it was clear that Miami was trying to math their way to the win and that Tatum was too much for them early on. I think this game called for an adjustment there to see if Tatum could force Miami to abandon their plan. I also think Sam Hauser was playing well enough to deserve some more time. 

Payton Pritchard: Four fouls and zero points is very bad. This is the type of game I worry about when it comes to Pritchard in the playoffs. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Math matters

I could see the game getting away from Boston early on when the Celtics were getting to the rim and Miami was already starting to make 3-pointers. The Celtics dominated the points in the paint, 46-26, going 21-24 at the rim. The Celtics and Heat both made 37 shots. The Celtics made one more free throw. But Miami made 11 more 3-pointers and they won by double digits. 

The math matters. Boston won it in Game 1 and they ran away with the game. Miami won it in Game 2 and they won by double digits. No matter what we think about the 3-point shot, the fact is in today’s NBA, you need to take enough of those shots to win the math battle. If one team loses it by 30, that team is going to lose. 

People say they want Boston to attack the rim, and they did that in this game. What they needed to do was generate more 3-pointers to get themselves a chance to out-math the Heat.

- This isn’t the time to panic

Every Celtics loss is the end of the world for some people. It’s time to fire Joe Mazzulla and trade everyone. But it’s never about individual losses. It’s always been about the response. 

Games like this are going to happen. Every team loses, and it happens even in the playoffs against an undermanned team. Like I said, when a team makes 23 3-pointers and wins that battle by 33, it’s going to be tough to win. 

What matters at this point is how the Celtics respond. When I talk about them being different his year, it’s never been about them being immune to bad games. It’s that they haven't let those games linger. So let’s see how they respond. 

The problem right now is that each side is getting so entrenched in their position that someone is going to look foolish. Either they're going to lose and I’m going to look like a moron for believing in this team, or they're going to win and people who spent the year panicking will feel silly. 

I like to take the measured approach of letting the team actually prove something in this situation. If they fall on their face in Game 3, then maybe it’s a different story. 

Next up: The series shifts to Miami. Game 3 is Saturday night at 6 p.m.