Seeded No. 8 in the Eastern Conference, the Heat continued his dream journey in these 2023 playoffs this night by securing a second victory in as many games on the floor of the Celtics in this Eastern Conference Finals. Now up 2-0 against Boston before joining Florida, the players of Miami are only two wins away from becoming the second No. 8 seed to reach the Finals, after the Knicks in 1999!
At first very competitive in the first period, this Game 2 was then more disjointed after the break, when we actually witnessed a clear change in “momentum” from one quarter to the next.
A “momentum” first in favor of Boston in the third quarter, largely dominated by Jayson Tatum (34 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists) and his band (33-21 to 61% on shots). Then dominated by Miami players in the fourth quarter (36-22 at 55% on shots), when the pair Jimmy Butler (27 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks) – Bam Adebayo (22 points, 17 rebounds and 9 assists) carried the Florida squad to victory after making up for a 12-point deficit, knocking down the locals, overwhelmed defensively, in perdition offensively (7/18) and guilty of 15 ball losses .
This Heat playoff version 2023 is incredible and confirms a little more, game after game, that it is indeed the best team in the Eastern Conference since its loss in the “play-in” against Atlanta. The hardest part is yet to come because we now have to drive the point home, but Erik Spoelstra’s men took a big step towards the Finals and certainly knocked out the Celtics, after these two victories in Massachusetts…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The incredible Miami Heat. According to NBA.com, the Heat now have a record of 6 wins and 2 losses in these playoffs when trailing by 10 or more points in a game. Leading by 4 points at the break and then trailing by 12 points at the start of the last act after a missed third quarter, this Miami team did not give up as usual, under the impetus, of course, of Jimmy Butler but also of a huge Bam Adebayo. It’s very simple: the Heat seem unbeatable in these playoffs since their defeat against the Hawks in the “play-in”, systematically able to find resources even in the most complex situations. The streak is of course still far from over, but the Heat impressed after those two games in Boston.
– The Celtics still broken by their inconstancy. Their second half sums it all up: a supersonic third quarter (33-21), which offered them an ideal “momentum” before attacking a fourth quarter which they finally missed (22-36), overwhelmed in defense by the “run” of the Heat which was picking up little by little (a 24-9 to finish in particular, from 87-96 to 111-105). Capable of the best and the worst without transition, the players of Boston went, in a few minutes, from a victory potentially acquired with authority to a bitter defeat. A sudden change of “momentum”, in the space of a few possessions, which now places Boston in a very uncomfortable position.
– Did Grant Williams wake the bear? After scoring a 3-pointer that took the Celtics’ lead to +9 (96-87) six minutes from the end of the game, Grant Williams wanted to get into the duel and “trashtalking” with Jimmy Butler, who scored with the foul behind. The head to head between the two men did not help Boston, who took a 24-9 in stride…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. In the fourth quarter, the first scored 9 of his 27 points and the second 8 of his 22 points. In total, they compiled 49 of their team’s 111 points, but also 25 rebounds and 15 assists. The two Heat bosses were grandiose, throughout the match but even more in the last act by initiating the revolt and then confirming the reversal of the “momentum”. Very high level.
✅ Caleb Martin. The surprise guest at the “scoring” side Miami with his 25 points, the Heat winger was also valuable for his defense and his ability to “switch”. He notably did a good job on Jaylen Brown and the pair Marcus Smart – Derrick White. A perfect X-factor match.
✅ Jayson Tatum. After a rather successful Game 1 two days ago, the Celtics superstar confirmed with a peak of 34 points (10/20), but also 13 rebounds and 8 assists. On the other hand, he was even more discreet in the last quarter, like his team, with only 5 points scored. But on the whole game, he was too lonely anyway, while Jaylen Brown and Al Horford missed each other…
⛔ Jaylen Brown. The other “Jay” had a complicated evening on the offensive level, with 16 points scored at 7/23 on shots… We can even encompass his entire match under the adjective “complicated”, while he punctuated this Game 2 with a +/- of -23 which speaks for itself.
THE FOLLOWING
– Game 3: on the night of Sunday to Monday (02:30 a.m.), in Miami
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
