Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images The Celtics need to trust Jayson Tatum as their primary ballhandler. The NBA script writers need new ideas. Miami shoots over 50% and steals a game in Boston? Derivative, predictable junk! Nonetheless, that is the story of Wednesday night, but there was an undercurrent of a B plot below the surface. Even with Miami shooting 94% (rough estimate) on open 3s, they only scored 111 points. The Celtics averaged over 120 per game this season. Game 2 was there for the taking, and they didn’t do it. If I had to guess, I’d say Erik Spoelstra is a big Monty Python fa ..read more

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images During the playoffs, Miami’s shooters come to life. How many times do the Celtics have to see it happen to finally make an adjustment? During the regular season, the Celtics averaged 42.5 three point attempts per game, good for first in the NBA by a wide margin. The Heat only shot 33.7 threes per game, a below average mark in the league. But in Game 2 of the teams’ first round series, Boston and Miami switched roles. The C’s only shot 32 threes, while Spoelstra’s boys got up 43 of them. The Heat hit 53.5% of those shots – the unequivocal reason why ..read more

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics | Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images It is far too soon for this level of palpitations. Alright, after a successful “pilot” article, I am back for more heart rate talk after the Miami Heat ripped mine straight out of my chest. It’s only Game 2, can you believe it? Wednesday night was basically the “this is why we play” for people (me) who monitor their heart rate while watching playoff basketball. The Celtics were awful. After ripping off a 37-4 record at TD Garden in the regular season, they once again let the Heat come in and steal a game in the postse ..read more

Jayson Tatum vs Bucks 3/20/24Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports All the Celtics news you need in one convenient place. Herald Celtics stars Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum get little help in loss to Heat Heat flip script, bury Celtics with threes to even first-round series Callahan: Celtics’ upset in Game 2 both an outlier and cause for concern Globe Takeaways: Celtics face familiar discomfort in Game 2 loss to Heat Finn: Celtics’ Game 2 loss to Heat was, hopefully, just an anomaly Video: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Joe Mazzulla talk Celtics’ Game 2 loss to Heat Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stymied by ..read more

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports Bad three-point defense, Kristaps Porzingis, and TD Garden’s thoughts on Caleb Martin. After a commanding Game 1 victory, the Boston Celtics got brought back down to earth in Game 2. The Miami Heat beat them at their own game, raining down three after three en route to a 111-101 victory. Boston’s offense looked sluggish, and their defense failed to adjust to Miami’s new style of play. It was a brutal 48 minutes, but the Celtics are now focused on fixing their problems ahead of Game 3. Here are three things you might have missed in Game 2. 1. Celtics fumble thre ..read more

Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images In Game 2, Boston got baited into abandoning the offense that has worked for themm all season. Game 2 was a three-point onslaught. The Miami Heat took the data from Game 1, changed their game plan, and came out firing on Wednesday night. The Boston Celtics’ defense failed to adjust, and they suffered death by Mazzulla ball. But while all eyes will be on their failure to protect the three-point line, Miami’s own defensive adjustments made a difficult night even harder for the Celtics. “Obviously, their physicality,” Kristaps Porzingis said a ..read more

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images After an efficient Game 1, Kristaps Porzingis stumbled in Game 2 against the Heat. Every game in a seven-game series tells a different tale of the larger narrative. In Kristaps Porzingis’ playoff debut with the Celtics, Boston’s big man was storybook, hitting 4-of-8 from behind the arc en route to an efficient 18 points and two blocks in Sunday's blowout of the Heat. You couldn’t write a better start to a championship run. Three days later in the Game 2 loss, plot twist: Porzingis made just one of his nine shot attempts; his counterpart, Bam Adebayo, owned ..read more

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images Jayson Tatum said the Celtics knew it wasn’t going to be easy to defeat a Miami team they’ve faced in three of the last four conference finals, while Joe Mazzulla denied a Game 2 loss signals unexpected adversity. That’s because players and coaches have wildly different expectations than pundits and fans. The Celtics came into Game 2 with an 81.9% chance of winning, according to ESPN analytics. Instead, they lost by 10 to an undermanned Heat team missing two of its four leading scorers. Kristaps Porzingis, who’s had a historically efficient year fr ..read more

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images A combination of bad defensive execution and ridiculous Miami shot-making led to Boston’s demise on Wednesday night. Three-point variance. That’s how the Boston Celtics took down the Miami Heat in Game 1. Boston poured in 22 three-pointers to Miami’s 12, creating a 30-point gap in a game they ultimately won by 20. And if it weren’t for a 7/9 Heat surge from distance in the final frame, the difference would have been even greater. Threes were a primary point of emphasis during the two-day break between games. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra knew that ..read more

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images The Celtics fell to a shock loss against the Miami Heat in Game 2. #1 Miami’s 3-point shooting The Boston Celtics dared the Miami Heat to shoot the ball. They sagged off the perimeter, giving Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith additional space. They overreacted to drives and struggled to navigate screens. All of this led to the Celtics' struggles to impact three-point shot attempts. In his postgame press conference, Joe Mazzulla said most of Miami’s perimeter jumpers were well-contested. “Defensively, obviously, they made a conscious effort to have free re ..read more