How the Celtics’ troublesome defense paved the way for a red-hot Heat’s Game 2

The Boston Celtics aren’t just another regular-season paper tiger. Any team in NBA history would struggle to emerge victorious if their opponent shot 53.5% from beyond the arc on their way to 23 made triples. Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier were both sidelined, but the shorthand Miami Heat’s stunning 111-101 win over Boston in Game 2 still shouldn’t be a surprise considering how well they shot the long ball.

Far more infuriating is why the Celtics – loaded with interchangeable on-ball defenders and a borderline-elite rim protector that rode them to the league’s second-best defensive rating – seemingly felt like their hand was being forced to give Miami’s role players a clean look after giving a clean look of three.

Joe Mazzulla hinted at his team’s drastic defensive strategy after the game, noting that Boston will need to close harder on shooters in the future while still respecting their ability to apply pressure on the edge of the bounce.

“A lot of the guys who took shots tonight are also good drivers, especially going downhill,” he said. “So we’re going to have to find a balance to make sure we close appropriately, but we don’t want to expose the other side of that.”

What Mazzulla fails to mention are the details of that ‘other side’.

Should the Celtics really be so tired of Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith attacking the paint while Kristaps Porzingis and disruptive secondary rim protectors like Derrick White and Jayson Tatum wait on the backline? How about treating Tyler Herro-Bam Adebayo pick-and-rolls like they’re the unstoppable two-man game between Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic?

Erik Spoelstra is the best coach in basketball, but the surest means of creating an advantage under the postseason microscope is top talent. Miami didn’t have that in Game 2 and won’t for the entire first round as Butler continues to recover from a sprained MCL. But it didn’t matter Wednesday night, the Celtics’ blatant overreaction to Herro ball screens turned him into the type of all-court playmaker whose emergence lifts all boats around him.

Caleb Martin enjoys the Celtics’ annoying Tyler Herro defense

Herro truly had one of the best games of his career at TD Garden. He finished with 24 points, five rebounds and a career-high 14 assists, with all but one of his seven field goals coming from three-point range.

But it’s not like Herro was splashing long balls in simple pick-and-roll action, doing his best Stephen Curry or Damian Lillard impression by launching off-dribble triples when a screen offered him to do so. just now enough breathing room to let it fly. Boston treated him like historic marksmen for most of Wednesday’s game.

Caleb Martin indeed turned back the clock to the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Erik Spoelstra calling him the “ultimate X-factor” and a “computer” on the postgame stage. However, his 21-point effort wasn’t the result of star-level shot-making like this time last year, or even the careful dirty work that has made him a darling of the Heat culture in recent seasons.

These are almost warm-up jumpers for Martin – each one the result of Boston being afraid to let Herro pull up around a pick for three or steamroll around the corner toward big drop coverage .

Pay special attention to Jaylen Brown and White in the clips above. They are initially one step away from the primary action on Martin, but jump to Herro as he uses Adebayo’s picks while Horford and Porzingis guard the screener respectively.

Again, Herro is not Curry or Lillard as a shooter off the bounce and certainly not Ja Morant or Anthony Edwards attacking a big downhill in space. He’s certainly no Playoff Jimmy Butler either.

Why do the Celtics feel compelled to rush the nearest fullback at him – effectively guaranteeing Martin’s availability as an early, open relief valve – rather than leaving Herro in traditional drop coverage and asking Horford and Porzingis to take him meet close to the level of the screen or, gasp, even switch straight to him?

The chess pieces are arranged differently in the piece below, but the strategy is the same. Boston would rather task Sam Hauser – the initial primary defender – with a 15-yard closeout on Martin in the weak corner than risk Herro exploiting a ball advantage.

Boston willingly injects randomness as a big favorite

Martin wasn’t the only Miami role player in Game 2 whose impact was magnified by the Celtics overreacting to Herro at the point of attack. Haywood Highsmith had just nine points after a scoreless playoff opener, but they all came from beyond the arc and with a helping hand from Herro. Highsmith’s latest product was a perfect example of Boston selling out to stop Herro, giving the Heat’s supporting cast another winning game.

Making sure Porzingis stays out of the primary action is one thing. Why would the Celtics respond to a double screen for Herro by trapping Tatum and Jrue Holiday instead of just turning the ball on – especially considering the time and score of the mid-fourth quarter, with two possessions down ?

According to NBA.com/stats, Highsmith hit an above-average 36.8% of his catch-and-shoot threes from the left wing this season. That number rises to 40.3% from the entire arc, 5.5 points better than Martin’s subpar mark on spot-up triples.

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However, no one knows better than Boston what Martin is capable of in the playoffs. Martin was 4-for-5 on triples when he pressured the ball in crunch time before crossing half court and passing to Herro on the right wing. Is there any doubt that Miami knew? precisely what would come next?

As Herro gets into another pick-and-roll with Adebayo, White abandons his assignment to help Holiday keep Porzingis out of the game as Martin drifts to the other side of the floor. Herro gets off the ball a stroke earlier than normal and fires a left shot at a waiting Martin. You can see Brown pointing at Martin before Herro makes the pass, but he’s still concerned about Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the corner, unable to get a good closeout while playing two on the weak side.

Splash.

With three minutes left after Martin’s three, the Celtics never got closer than eight before the final buzzer sounded.

The good news for Boston is that Butler, alongside Rozier, won’t take the floor again before this suddenly competitive series comes to an end. The Celtics are still an overwhelming favorite to beat Miami despite Wednesday’s shocking outcome at TD Garden.

Even more encouraging for Boston? Jrue Holiday’s revealing look at how his team will respond to the Heat’s red-hot shooting.

“I think we remain solid. I think we remain solid. Stick to the game plan, whatever the game plan is for the next game,” he said. “We know they’ll be home, so they’ll have a little more juice, but I don’t think we’ll respond at all. I think we will remain as balanced as possible.”

“Whatever the game plan is” certainly doesn’t suggest the Celtics will take the same defensive approach to South Beach for Saturday’s Game 3. After all, why would the most talented team in basketball willingly inject the arbitrary whims of outlier three-pointers? shooting in a play-off game against an opponent missing its best player?