Celtics Address Heat's Historic Shooting in Game 2: 'That Will be the Adjustment'

Rob Greene | Apr 25, 2024

Apr 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) shoots a free throw vs. the Boston Celtics. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Preparing for Game 2, Joe Mazzulla voiced how it was inevitable that the Miami Heat would come out a different team after getting beaten up to open the series Sunday in Boston.

The question, however, was more so about in which ways compared to Game 1?

The Miami Heat tied their most threes in franchise history in a postseason game with 23. Just two shy of an NBA Playoff record set by the Milwaukee Bucks with 25 last April.

Caleb Martin gave Boston Celtics’ fans flashbacks to last May, where he played his best basketball of his NBA career to give himself a chance at winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP over Jimmy Butler. Martin averaged 19 against the Boston Celtics in the Heat’s upset, where they got off to a 3-0 lead before the Celtics stormed back to force a Game 7.

Tyler Herro, who first made his name in the postseason against Boston in the 2020 bubble, had one of the best performances of his career. In his 42nd game all season, Herro channeled his inner-Butler and controlled the game with 24 points, 14 assists, and five rebounds in an effort that Erik Spoelstra labeled as Herro’s best playmaking. Bam Adebayo was also dominant and in control from the start with 21 points and 10 rebounds as a plus-20, only missing four shots.

Miami was able to toy with the Celtics defense and get to their spots finding any shot they wanted, especially with their best three-point barrage of the season. The Heat took a page out of Boston’s playbook, and unimaginably executed. Every time the Celtics showed life and were on their tail entering the fourth and in crunch time, Adebayo, Martin and the Heat answered with a dagger.

Joe Mazzulla spoke about the Heat’s volume of threes.

"We're going to have to find a balance, because a lot of those guys that made shots tonight are also good drivers, especially getting downhill,” Mazzulla said. “So, we're going to have to find that balance of making sure we close out appropriately, but we don't want to start opening up the other side of that. So, that will be the adjustment.”

The Celtics’ coach also talked about Miami’s balance of driving to the basket that were available off closeouts along with their hot shooting.

“That's the balance of Herro-Adebayo pick-and-roll,” Mazzulla said. “Being shifted off those guys and getting back out to them and closing out to them. But when you play a little bit inefficient offensive from the standpoint of fighting for your space and getting [to] it, it puts a ton of pressure on your defense, and that's the kind of team that takes advantage of inefficient offense because of their ability to attack at that other end. So, we got to fight for the offensive execution.”

Jayson Tatum, who carried Boston’s offense with 28 points and eight rebounds on 50 percent shooting to go with Jaylen Brown’s 33, also spoke on Miami’s three-point shooting.

“You got to give them credit,” Tatum said. “They shot more threes - they really shot the ball well tonight. For the most part, our effort, it wasn’t like we weren’t playing hard or connected. There were some missed opportunities that we wish we could have back – some open looks, some transition threes. They were just too comfortable. But tip your hat off to them, they hit some shots tonight.”