Erik Spoelstra reveals Heat made adjustments to change 3-point math in Game 2. Is it sustainable and how will Celtics respond?, Three(3) Key Heat Players Sealed Shocking Game 2 Win At Boston
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches from the sideline as they take on the Boston Celtics during game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden.
After a 20-point loss in Game 1 on Sunday, many expected the Boston Celtics to cruise to another double-digit win over the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat in Game 2.
The Heat set a franchise record for threes made in a playoff game, shooting 23 of 43 (53.5 percent) from three-point range. It’s also the most threes the Heat has made in a game this season, tied for the second most threes the Heat has made in any game in franchise history and tied for the fourth most threes any team has hit in a playoff game in NBA history.
“Honestly, I thought we generated the same looks in the first game,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said. “Just guys, including myself, weren’t taking them. The talk among the team was to just be aggressive, take the open shots. If they give it to us, don’t hesitate and let it go.”
The Heat definitely didn’t hesitate, as its game plan to put up more threes in Game 2 was clear from the start with 16 of Miami’s first 20 shots coming from three-point range. The Heat attempted 43 or more threes for the fourth time this season after shooting 12 of 37 (32.4 percent) from behind the arc in Game 1. Most of the shots were open for the Heat, too, as the Celtics continued to prioritize sending extra defenders at the Bam Adebayo-Herro pick-and-roll.
Most of Adebayo’s rolls and Herro’s drives off an Adebayo screen drew extra Celtics defenders, which is a big reason 10 of Herro’s career-high 14 assists resulted in three-pointers. The Celtics also brought extra defenders to cut off some of the Heat’s drives, including those from rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. As a result, 37 of the Heat’s 43 three-point attempts fell into the “open” (when closest defender is four to six feet away) or “wide open” (when closest defender is more than six feet away) categories in Game 2, according to NBA tracking stats.
The Heat shot 21 of 37 (56.8 percent) on those open and wide open threes, with 23 of those 37 three-point attempts labeled as wide open. “The threes, yeah, that’s how they’re scheming us so far,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, with the series now in the middle of another two-day break before moving to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday (6 p.m. TNT and Bally Sports Sun). “Packing the paint and putting an extra defender in front of Tyler or Jaime or whoever is attacking the paint. Those are the available shots. You have to trust, whether it’s a make or a miss.
2 Key Miami Heat Players Sealed Shocking Game 2 Win At Boston
Things have been looking bad for the Miami Heat against the Boston Celtics. They barely made it out of the play-in tournament. Now they’re facing their playoff rivals without their leader, Jimmy Butler, and their starting point guard, Terry Rozier, due to injuries. However, the Miami Heat went into TD Garden and pulled off one of the most shocking upsets in recent memory.
Miami Heat Pulls Off Shocking Game 2 Upset
The Miami Herald couldn’t have said it any better. They started their report on game two by saying, “The short-handed eighth-seeded Heat bounced back from a 20-point loss in Game 1, shocking the top-seeded Celtics 111-101 in Game 2 on Wednesday.”
Miami’s ability to hit a franchise playoff record of 23 three-pointers helped them rise above the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston. Jayson Tatum was somber after the loss and told the media,
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. There’s a lot of history between these two franchises, especially recently, regardless of seeding, who’s in or who’s out.
It’s the playoffs, especially that team. It’s never going to go how you expect it to go. That’s the beauty of being in the playoffs and playing at the highest level. We lost the game and we’ve got a chance to play again on Saturday. Should be another fun one.”
The 2 Miami Heat Players That Saved The Game
With Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier out, the Heat must rely on NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo and the former 6th Man of the Year Tyler Herro.
Bam Adebayo finished the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 69% from the field. The all-star Miami Heat center also shut down Boston’s starting center, Kristaps Porzingis, as he had 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Porzingis had 3 steals and 2 blocks in the game, which somewhat made up for his offensive inefficiency after going 1-9 shooting.
Tyler Herro garnered 24 points, 14 assists, and 5 rebounds while shooting 53% from the field. The game’s box score showed that Herro went 6-11 from the 3-point arc. Herro made the most threes on the Heat, but he couldn’t have done it all alone from outside the arc.
The Heat’s Hidden Hero In Game 2
Speaking of outside shooting, Caleb Martin shot a very efficient 5-6 from beyond the arc. The forward finished with 21 points and shot 7-12 from the field. Martin was able to find his spots from outside the arc as Boston struggled with defensive adjustments. He also bounced back from a horrendous 4-point game 1 performance where he shot 2-6 from the field.
Since Caleb left the Charlotte Hornets to join Miami, he has been a cornerstone of the recent roster. He went from averaging 5 points during his years at Charlotte to averaging 10 points per game in his three seasons with the Miami Heat.
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