Heat refuses to give up

It is very likely that this does not mean Nothinglet it be nothing more than a strange oversight, one of those days when everything turns out to be the opposite. He remains the overwhelming favorite to reach the final from the East. This is still a team that won 64 games. regular season And all the rest. And she is still able to achieve the glory that has eluded her for many years, although no one is watching her, spring after spring, with greater persistence. All this is true, and surely on Saturday he will take the first opportunity to turn the tide and return to the team. normal in his first road playoff game. That’s how it should be, no matter how you look at it. OR almost, almost, almost no matter how you look at it. But on the other hand, it’s impossible not to at least raise an eyebrow or smile (at least a little), depending on how the party is going for each person. with a score of 101-111 that tied the series 1-1 between the huge favorites the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.He outsider who made the playoffs after a very poor season and was nearly knocked out due to injuries (Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier).

Because of course there’s a story here, a narrative in which it is inevitable not to put at least one foot, no matter how irresponsible it would be to do anything more, let alone dive into it without any fear. Here are two teams that hate each other; Why nothing join more They will face each other in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. In two of the previous three (2020 and 2023), the Heat left the Celtics short of the NBA Finals when they were green favorites, scandalous favorites last season. Now they are even bigger. They have now won 64 games and lost just four at the Garden. and his opponent seemed to be left to his fate, having no other weapon than this thermal culture It seemed a matter of faith. Dull, without Butler, the saint of all his miracles, and without Rosier, the new boy in the office.

None of this is as one might assume (although sometimes, in the playoffs, happens) should change for the match. This should be an accident, not a symptom. But the thing is, now we’ll all have to wait until Saturday and the Casey Center in Miami to regain our judgment. The Celtics, known for abandoning their good competitive habits during the worst moments of the playoffs, They lost the venue factor and much of the emotional edge. that they achieved Sunday’s 1-0 victory. The Heat, used to being a pain in the ass for everyone else and a notorious nightmare for the Celtics, these CelticsWhen postseason, came back to life when, and you’d swear it was true, 4-0 seemed like the most likely result. The point is that the score is 1:1, that the connection that seemed inert is loaded with vibrations (we’ll see how long they last) and that we will have all the narratives we want until at least Saturday. The Celtics and Heat are playing, it can’t be any other way.

Lots of threes… and a lot of defense

The news is that The Heat’s numbers on threes increased from 12/37 on Sunday to 23/43 (53%), their playoff record. and this represents data that is a priori outside the range that this command has. The Celtics went from an overwhelming 22/49 (49%) from Day 1 (which they won by 34 points) to 12/32. We already know that in the NBA of 2024, these shooting swings have become mother of all lambs They lead to delayed results and matches with completely unexpected outcomes. But the problem for the Celtics, if they have one (they shouldn’t), But), they’re in his meager 40 points in the second half, as the Heat defense forced them to trade vacated three-pointers for well-defended two-pointers.. Thanks to this exchange flow The Greens are a team that plays to overwhelm their opponents on the outside, and that’s why they’re so overwhelming in attack… and that’s why they can be vulnerable against the right opponent. The April heat of 2024 is nothing like this suitable opponent. But there is a story here, and after what we saw in this match, it is advisable to at least respect it. It will not happen.

Erik Spoelstra, the main reason (besides Pat Riley’s long shadow in the Garden stands) that the Celtics might feel at least a tinge of apprehension (that would be human), said after the game that When the footage arrives, everything looks much better. And it is true. But in the simplification from which everything else begins, he has hidden the fact that his team came out with a real will to match the external impulses of their opponents. In the first quarter, 15 of his 19 shots were three-pointers. He scored eight. And, above all, that he has moved to the level of protection that is expected of him. constant pressure, changes between person and zone, fanatical physical level and much later help than on Sunday, when the Celtics’ quick analyzes found that the released shooter had become a regular.

No supersonic launch options, The Celtics happily sunk into the dirt where the Heat awaited them. Jrue Holiday was a poor shooter and non-factor on defense, the bench was of little help, and Kristaps Porzingis, the great theorist X – Factor, He had an absolutely disastrous evening: 6 points, 1/9 in shooting, -32 on the court. Overwhelmed by the physical strength of his opponent. When the last quarter ended, just Jace They had more than seven points. Brown finished with 33 after some great minutes. Tatum scored 28 points, but the feeling dropped sharply after his 14 in the first quarter. The latter had just one basket in the game and 4 points, which helped very little in the reaction effort that reached 96-102. Caleb Martin killed it, of course, because it’s the Celtics-Heat playoffs. The forward scored 21 points on 5/6 three-pointers, including the one that made it 96-105 at that critical moment. For his life in the playoffs, he’s averaging 6.9 points and 32% on threes against everyone else… and 13.6 and nearly 49% against the Celtics. This is a favorite fact of those who believe that Spoelstra is more of a black witch than a superior coach.

Booed by old scores and a hard foul against Tatum on Sunday, Martin is once again the poster boy, the perfect metaphor for another but how can this happen. But the victory secured by the catastrophe of threes (which will be almost impossible to repeat sustainably) we believe), based on exceptional defensive work by Bam Adebayo, who also worked in the middle zone and finished with 21 points (and 10 rebounds). Huge performance from the center and great work from players like Jovic and Highsmith, who seemed overwhelmed on the series opener. And finally, A truly important performance from Tyler Herro, such an often lightweight talent. and this time a standard scorer (24 points, 6/11 in threes) and, above all, a smart and timely generator (14 assists). The Celtics can allow the shooting guard to score a goal or have an assist, but they must try to prevent him from doing both.

And here we are with the score 1:1, which seemed incredible before the start of the series, not to mention the fact that Butler was injured in the match. playand almost impossible after the green storm of the first game. Caught between listening to logic and giving in to the narrative being shoved down our throats. At least that will be the case until Saturday. This time I shouldn’t I really shouldn’t, expect a bear trap for the Celtics in Miami, and it’s too early to decide that in this game we’ve already seen an x-ray of how they’ll eventually fall, even if it’s again later. But it will be said. This is the price the Celtics have to pay for their failures in recent years, which they allowed to settle in the playoff zone and which they will have to throw away starting Saturday. It would be logical, yes. But.

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