There was a scent of revenge for this reunion between Miami and Boston, opposed in the last Eastern Conference final of the 2022 playoffs. Eliminated on their land in Game 7, the Floridians had undoubtedly checked this match on their calendar with the hope of correcting their executioners of last May. It will be for another time.
Opposite, Boston delivered a match full of control and was able to remain in control of the tempo until the end in order to win, at the same time sending a message to the other competitors in the Eastern Conference: it will still be necessary to count on the It’s this season!
After a start dominated by the Heat and Bam Adebayo more precisely, Boston woke up following a key sequence, two 3-point baskets in the corner signed Derrick White and Al Horford followed by two blocks from Derrick White and Noah Vonleh, respectively on Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry. In the process, the C’s lined up a 16-7 to finish the first act (22-30).
After being up to 11 points behind (24-35), the locals reacted in turn, with Jimmy Butler to restart the machine and Tyler Herro, whose rise in power was materialized by 8 points in a row for bring Miami back to -5 shortly before the break (50-55). That promised a contested second half!
Bam Adebayo completed Floridians’ return to business by equalizing at 69-69. Problem, Boston was able to count on Jayson Tatum to boost the C’s, and how! Passing 12 points in 6 minutes then going against Tyler Herro while Grant Williams made his team go +12 following two missiles from the corner (77-89).
The 9-0 passed by the Vincent-Butler duo to bring Miami down to -5 (95-100) did not weigh much in the balance in the final. Jayson Tatum. Jayson Tatum then Al Horford from afar then put an end to the suspense, allowing Boston to leave Florida with the victory (104-111).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Celtics management. The victory against Philly had made it possible to measure the level displayed by Boston from the first game of the season. This first away victory was the confirmation. Even if the coach has changed, the weapons and the principles of play remain the same. On this match, we felt a great serenity on the part of the players. No feeling of panic or powerlessness, but rather the right action or gesture executed at the right time. It was Jayson Tatum in the second part of the third quarter, or the Williams-Horford pair at 3-pointers at the end to fold the match.
– Bim Bam Boom. Miami showed two faces, one with Bam Adebayo (+ 20 +/-!) and one without. Miami suffered terribly and conceded the main bursts of the game when the pivot, wet with fouls, was on the bench. Perhaps most worrying is the lack of an alternative to the position for Erik Spoelstra, other than DeWayne Dedmon (Omer Yurtseven was injured).
– Block Party. The figures to illustrate the good performance are numerous, such as the perfect throw or the external address which contributed to the victory. We will remember the 11 blocks, mainly because it was after two blocks in quick succession that Boston launched its match after a difficult start.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ The Jay’s are doing it again. Already authors of an impressive first outing against the Sixers, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum did it again tonight with 28 and 29 points respectively. Special mention to JT who spent 10 points to fend off the Heat in the 3e act and who scored two important baskets when Miami came back 95-100 in the final.
✅ Tyler Herro. The back had his hot shots, especially at the end of the first half, and helped keep his people in the game, finishing the game with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, in line from his previous game against Chicago.
⛔️ The Heat bench. It’s a bit of a problem for Miami as Tyler Herro now starts in the five majors, Erik Spoelstra’s bench looks a bit weak. Fortunately Gabe Vincent has raised the level. For the rest, we were close to nothing. Special mention to Max Strus and DeWayne Dedmon with their -25 and -18 +/-. As for Duncan Robinson, he was only credited with 6 minutes of play…
THE FOLLOWING
– Heat : back-to-back for Miami which hosts Toronto tonight (02:00).
– Celtics : Boston also continues this evening with a trip to Orlando (01:00).
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