Earlier than the sequence began, some followers believed it will be “simple” and a few believed we’d sweep the Miami Warmth. Properly, after Wednesday’s dwelling loss, the group and followers know this Miami group received’t go down and not using a struggle. After a few years battling Miami, they must be revered. In truth, they need to have earned our respect.
Miami talked about pregame that they wished to shoot extra threes, and so they succeeded, hitting 53.5% (23/43) from deep. Boston didn’t regulate to Miami’s recreation plan and the Warmth took benefit of discovering the open shooter with the C’s being late on quite a few closeouts.
The excellent news for Boston: they’ve been nice at responding to adversity. All through the common season, the Celtics misplaced two in a row simply 4 instances. The final prevalence was just a few weeks in the past after they dropped video games to the Bucks and the Knicks; granted, that was when Boston had the primary seed locked up in early April.
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Profitable 64 video games over the season proves you may bounce again from losses. Though it might seem to be the tip of the world, it’s essential to recollect it’s only one loss in a best-of-seven sequence.
Though it didn’t seem to be head coach Joe Mazzulla made many in-game changes, the significance is to determine it out earlier than Recreation 3.
There aren’t going to be many video games the place Kristaps Porzingis will go 1-for-9 from the sector and rating simply six factors. Derrick White was one other participant who didn’t have it going offensively. White was held to simply 4 factors via the primary three quarters earlier than scoring 9 within the closing body. Payton Pritchard has been a spark to the Celtics bench scoring this season and he didn’t try a shot in 20 minutes.
Despite the fact that it’s irritating to lose — particularly at dwelling — it’s essential to recollect it’s a sequence and one loss shouldn’t make you throw out your whole recreation plan. Mazzulla talked about ‘adversity’ after the sport:
“It’s unlucky that shedding a recreation is adversity. The character of the playoffs is antagonistic itself,” he stated. “To suppose you’re not going to have ups and downs via that run, you’re not being real looking.”
Jaylen Brown spoke about how Boston wants to reply on Saturday.
“Come again. Be the more durable enjoying group subsequent recreation and execute. Let the whole lot else maintain itself. Gotta win the struggle,” Brown stated.
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A loss within the playoffs stings greater than a regular-season loss, however the advantage of it being the playoffs is that they play the identical opponent and might make the mandatory changes on a game-to-game foundation.
“It’s not speculated to be simple. It’s not a straightforward highway to the place each groups are attempting to get to,” Jayson Tatum stated. “Some robust, aggressive basketball. We knew that they have been going to reply and play higher than the primary recreation, and so they did.”
Erik Spoelstra is the most effective if not the second-best coach within the NBA. His expertise and talent to modify ways on the fly will at all times have his group within the struggle. Now it’s time for Mazzulla to point out his means as a coach to modify issues up and discover the right stability on each offense and protection.
Final yr, it took Boston three straight losses to answer Miami. This season, nonetheless, I imagine will probably be totally different. With out Jimmy Butler, the Celtics must benefit from the Warmth being with out their star participant. Boston has extra star energy on the group this yr and the best way they responded all through the season ought to give followers hope of it being totally different than final yr.
Now with Miami taking home-court benefit, the Celtics should return again to Boston with at the least one if not two wins.
