Celtics Bounce Back, Pummel Heat to Even Series
May 19, 2022
Just as the Celtics received some unfortunate news prior to game one, they received some surprising positive news shortly ahead of tip-off. The Celtics got word that Al Horford had cleared the league’s COVID protocols and would be available to play in game two. His return, along with the return of Marcus Smart from a foot injury provided a massive, much needed lift for Boston on both ends of the court. The Celtics came out missing some shots early, digging themselves into a 10 point first quarter hole, but the team would rally for a 60-21 run to finish the half with a 70-45 lead, burying Miami in the process. The Heat would make a mini run in the third quarter, but never managed to get closer to 17, as the Celtics rolled to a convincing 127-102 victory to even the Eastern Conference Finals at 1-1 as the series shifts to Boston.
The first few minutes of the game looked like more of the same from game one, forcing Ime Udoka to call timeout and chew his team out, telling them in no uncertain terms that they needed to wake up. And wake up they did. The Celtics ripped off a 17-0 run, wrapping up the first quarter with a 35-24 lead and they never looked back. The Celtics put up another 35 points in the second quarter, while holding the Heat to just 21 and that was essentially all she wrote.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both came to play after a disastrous game one. Tatum scored 27 points on 8/13 shooting and 4/6 from three along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in just 31 minutes. He was completely in control and composed, playing with the purpose and force that is required in a series like this. Brown played similarly well, including a scorching hot start shooting the ball. He finished with 24 points on 9/17 and 4/7 threes, adding 8 rebounds and 3 assists in only 33 minutes. The Jays came out with the kind of intensity and focus you want from your star players, leading by example, and making sure the Celtics would not experience a repeat of game one. Tatum had 20 at the break while Brown had 15.
But the biggest story of this game was the return of Marcus Smart and his brilliance on both ends of the court. Coming off a foot injury, Smart was not only able to tough it out and play, but provided 40 outstanding minutes, doing everything possible for the Celtics. Despite starting off 1-10 from the floor, Smart was arguably the most valuable player on the floor. He finished with 24 points on 8/22 shooting, to go along with a playoff career high 12 assists, and 9 rebounds, coming one rebound shy of a triple double. Smart came right out and set up the first two baskets of the game for Boston, setting the tone for the night. Smart was happy to set up his teammates, but in the second half when things got tight, Smart got hot and started pouring in shots to stretch the Boston lead back over 30. As great as his offense was, Smart may have been even more impressive on defense, tacking on 3 steals and a block, while playing a key role in limiting Jimmy Butler on the Heat attack. In perhaps the most pivotal sequence of the second half, the Heat had cut the lead down to 17 and had the ball with a good amount of momentum. Smart stripped the ball under the basket, then dropped Max Strus with a crossover and buried a foul line jumper. After another Celtics stop, Smart banged a three and the rout was quickly back on.
The rest of the role players stepped up and helped the Celtics roll to victory. Derrick White missed this game as his wife was giving birth, so Udoka chose to tighten up the Celtics rotation, playing just 7 players until the game reached garbage time. Horford was extremely steady, hitting all four of his shot attempts and controlling the paint on both ends. Grant Williams stepped up, playing far more than Robert Williams, allowing Boston to play five out and space the floor. Grant had 19 points on 7/9 shooting. Payton Pritchard also added 10 points on 4/8 shooting and was a team high +39 for the game. It was a total team effort for the Celtics in this one; you could see the concerted effort to move the ball and make the extra pass and it resulted in great looks for the Celtics all night long, as Boston shot 20/40 from three as a team and 51% from the floor overall. They also cleaned up their ball control, ballhandling, and passing in general, dishing out 28 assists as a team while turning the ball over just 9 times.
While the Celtics were completely dominant, the Heat also didn’t provide much resistance. Butler was solid yet again, as he scored 29 points on 11/18 shooting, scoring most of those points during a big third quarter run as he tried to put the team on his back again. But the Celtics made sure that Butler would get nothing but tough, contested shot attempts, as he only got to the line 8 times and only had 3 assists. The rest of the Heat supporting cast was nowhere to be found. Their “second star”, Bam Adebayo has been virtually non-existent other than a brief aggressive stretch during the big third quarter run in game one. But in this one Bam had just 6 points on 3/6 from the field. Boston did a great job of defending him, but he simply needs to be more assertive on offense if the Heat hope to have any chance going forward.
As much as game one was a wake up call for the Celtics, game two has to be a wake up call for the Heat. Boston looked like the better team on offense and defense, imposing their will defensively, making sure the Heat had to work hard for every single look, and completely erasing everyone but Butler. On the other end, the Celtics had the ball zipping around, and found a great rhythm. The Heat tried a great variety of lineups and schemes, resorting to multiple zone looks but Boston had all the answers. Continuing to attack, move the ball, and make the right play repeatedly. Now Miami will head to Boston with the series tied 1-1. We’re looking at a best of 5 series, and the Celtics have wrestled away home court advantage. The Heat have to respond and find a way to steal a game in Boston. But frankly, if the Celtics continue to play like this, it’s going to be a daunting task. The Celtics are expecting White to return to the lineup, so they should be back at full strength while the Heat will likely continue to be without Kyle Lowry, and now PJ Tucker has picked up an injury. The Celtics looked like a much better team in game two; if they don’t drop the rope, Erik Spoelstra and the Heat are liable to run out of options in short order.
Ben Handler