Boston Celtics' show of force in Game 3 demands response from Miami Heat, says Mike Tuck
Watch Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Thursday morning (1:30am)
Thursday 24 September 2020 06:04, UK
The Celtics attacked aggresively to beat the Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Mike Tuck expects a big response from Miami in Game 4.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra noted that Boston played with "more force" in Game 3. He was right. The Celtics looked more aggressive. Their star players looked like stars - they had four starters score 20 or more points. Boston were aggressive in getting into the paint - exactly what they needed to be. They had 60 points in the paint compared to Miami's 36.
That's where they won the game - being aggressive, going to the basket. The big play that stood out for me was a Jayson Tatum dunk where he threw it down on Tyler Herro. That's what Brad Stevens needs from his guys.
Gordon Hayward being back for Boston was such a big thing for the Celtics, too. Having another guy on the floor who really adds value, make plays and plays defense was a real boost. It's huge for them to have another 'soldier' back in the line-up.
'Attack fast, attack early'
Attacking, getting into the paint, that's how the Celtics countered Miami's zone defense that had flummoxed them in the opening games of the series. A zone can stifle you in the right positions but if you can find the gaps and get two feet in the paint, the zone completely opens up because the interior defense will break down.
When you are just moving the ball around the perimeter against the zone and not attacking the gaps, that's when the zone really works against you unless you have incredible outside shooting.
In Game 3, the Celtics were really aggressive going downhill and getting to the basket. That was the difference. We saw Tatum attack early in possessions to attack before Miami's zone could set up. You can't be too passive when faced with a zone defense. Attack fast and attack early.
Stevens' Smart decision
Stevens will have also been pleased to see his 'vet' guys like Marcus Smart getting in peoples' faces and really amping them up.
One key adjustment Stevens made in Game 3 was having Smart guard Goran Dragic. They had started Smart on Duncan Robinson because they don't want the Miami sharpshooter getting hot from three-point range but Robinson was running off single stagger screens which meant Smart was only really guarding Robinson for the couple of seconds of the possession before switching out.
Dragic had been a difference-maker for Miami in Games 1 and 2 but Smart limited him to 2-for-10 shooting in Game 3. That's a huge adjustment there.
Moving forward in the series, I think we might see less of the constantly-switching defense and more of the 'stay attached, you lock up your guy, I'll lock up my guy' man-to-man defense.
Taking Dragic away was a huge deal. Jae Crowder's 2-for-10 shooting night hurt Miami in Game 3, too. He had been killing it from three - which wasn't expected - but it's hard to fly that high for a whole series. He was always likely to have a little stumble.
'Big Three' scoring versus all-around attack
When it comes to the playoffs, consistent contributions from your go-to guys are what you are looking for. You're looking for your main guys to carry you late in games and take the responsibility on their shoulders. With the Celtics we know who those main guys are. It's Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker with Jaylen Brown in the third slot.
This Miami team is built differently. We don't know who will step up on a given night. Jimmy Butler is not your typical 30-points-a-night superstar, but he is a closer, a motivator and a great leader.
This series has been one of runs. When the Celtics go on a run and execute, they look amazing and look like they will win the games. But when they falter, Miami find these stretches where they completely take over. We saw it in Game 1 in the second quarter, then in the third quarter in Game 2. Miami have used those massive runs to hail their way back into games or pull away for the win. But they were not able to do that in Game 3.
Bet on a big Heat response
We will definitely see adjustments from Erik Spoelstra in Game 4. Defense is key in this series. In Games 1 and 2, Miami held Boston to around 106 (plus 11 in overtime) and 101 points respectively. In Game 3, Boston scored 117. Miami want a low-scoring game in which their defense really keys in on Boston's 'Big Three' guys.
Bam Adebayo, and maybe Tyler Herro off the bench, were really the only Heat guys who showed up in Game 3. I think we'll see a bigger performance from Jimmy Butler in Game 4 and guys like Dragic and Crowder really want to step up and bounce back after quiet games.
Watch Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Thursday morning (1:30am)
