Final: Celtics 134, Heat 121 - Tatum drops 49 in shootout with Miami

Game 22: Celtics (-9) vs. Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m., TD Garden, NBCS Boston/NBA TV

Injuries: 

Boston: Danilo Gallinari, Robert Williams, Al Horford (back), Jaylen Brown (questionable, neck)Miami: Jimmy Butler (knee), Victor Oladipo (knee), Omer Yurtseven (ankle), Dewayne Dedmon (questionable, foot), Tyler Herro (questionable, ankle), Nikola Jovic (questionable, foot), Caleb Martin (questionable, non-COVID illness), Gabe Vincent (questionable, knee), Duncan Robinson (questionable, ankle)

Heat probable starters: Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Caleb Martin, Max Strus

Refs: Tony Brothers (#25), Nick Buchert (#3), Aaron Smith (#51)

Last time they played: The Celtics beat Miami 111-104 in their second game of the season. They started each half slow, but then turned it on late in the first and third quarters to get themselves leads. They withstood Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro runs thanks in large part to Jaylen Brown’s steadily great performance (28 points on 12-18 shooting (2-3 3pt), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Jayson Tatum (29/5/4) carrying them in the third. 

A little something about this game: Butler will miss his sixth game with a lingering knee issue, but the Heat are riding a three-game win streak. They beat the Wizards twice and the Hawks, thanks largely in part to Adebayo. He had 32 against Atlanta and 38 against Washington in their second matchup. He’s scored 30 in three of his last six games. The Heat have had two days off.

How Boston wins: The Celtics need to attack Miami’s zone defenses, not just try to shoot over the top of it. They can still attack and collapse the defense, they just have to do it from a different angle. I’m looking at Malcolm Brogdon as a guy who’ll recognize this and find the right guys. 

Defensively, they can’t let Miami’s shooters get going. If those guys get hot, it will open up too much in the middle for Adebayo. 

How Miami wins: Adebayo will have to stay hot. He works well with Herro in pick-and-rolls, and he’ll certainly score on a few dunks, but take a look at his shot chart vs. Washington: 

Be mindful of that face-up game and that he can take and make a lot of those shots outside the restricted area. Having Adebayo take a bunch of shots in the middle of the floor is still probably the best formula for a Boston win, but they’ll still have to contest those shots and make sure there's help behind that defender so he can’t just drive all the way to the rim.  

Defensively, the Heat will probably throw a bunch of zone defense at Boston and mix up the coverages. The Celtics rely on drives to set up a lot of their 3-pointers, and zone has historically given the Celtics problems, so it could be a good way to throw the Celtics off.

Things I’m looking for:

- Quick recognition: Zone is played to mess with the timing and rhythm of an offense, so the Celtics need to be on their feet and recognize when Miami has switched into a zone quickly, and from there recognize what kind of zone is being played. What Boston needs to do is blow the zone up quickly and force the Heat to play man. If the Celtics can force the Heat in to man-to-man defense, this will be another blowout win.

- Fast start: The Heat represent a much stronger challenge than the decimated Hornets and Wizards teams. The Heat aren’t exactly healthy, but they're well-coached and they always give maximum effort so this will be a much tougher game. If the Celtics respect their opponent, they’ll come out and give maximum effort from the opening tip. 

While you’re waiting for the opening tip, enjoy the latest Locked On Celtics podcast with me and Tom Westerholm

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.