“I understand the calculation: we don’t want to lose 30 points in a particular sector. We will probably have to find a balance, because we are not going to limit them to 25 (3-pointers) and we do not want to shoot 50, it is not realistic.
After Game 1, Erik Spoelstra summed up the problem of his Heat, faced with the Celtics who made the 3-pointer their main offensive weapon. With their 12/37 in the exercise, the Floridians were not able to compete with the 22/49 of their opponents. But the Miami coach's unrealistic plan almost became reality…
Because in Game 2, the Heat completely reversed the trend, finishing the game at 23/43 (franchise record in the playoffs) behind the 3-point line, while the Celtics were limited to 12/32!
“I think we realized that being passive (as shooters) was hurting us” explains Caleb Martinwhistled by Boston fans but who still hurt the Celtics with his 5/6 in the exercise. “We were just playing the way they expected. We are too good shooters to hesitate behind the 3-point line. »
The Heat are, however, an average team in terms of outside skill, with the 12th success percentage (37%) in the regular season, and 19th place in terms of the number of 3-pointers made per game (12.5).
Joe Mazzulla doesn't want to overreact
In the absence of Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson, the strike force was reduced even further, but Erik Spoelstra's men returned to a simple mathematical solution: 3>2. Expected by the Celtics on their attacks from the circle, they drew much faster, and much more freely, at 3-points.
“We doubted ourselves so much during our playoff campaigns, with people saying we couldn't do things we ended up doing” summed up Bam Adebayo. “For me and my team, we are not going to lose confidence now. Our backs are against the wall. Everyone is against us, so we use this energy. »
This team lacks offensive impact and shooters? Tyler Herro responds with a 6/11 from afar, helped by Caleb Martin's 5/6, Nikola Jovic's 3/4, Haywood Highsmith's 3/5 or Jaime Jaquez Jr's 3/6.
But Joe Mazzulla warns that we should not overreact to the performance of the Florida shooters. “We have to find a balance because a lot of their shooters are also good at attacking the rim. We have to find a balance, to hinder the shots without opening up another aspect of the game”concludes the Celtics coach.
