Last night’s contest was tough to watch. The level of execution we have come to expect from the Miami Heat in these playoffs simply was not present. The blame can solely be placed on the shoulders of the Boston Celtics. Specifically, their defense. It was an incredible display, and it looks like the Celtics finally decided to lock in. Let’s take a closer look.
The offensive woes for the Heat were apparent from the opening tip. Their first possession ended in a turnover, and it would be prophetic for the rest of the game. The first possession of the game was nothing more than a statement by the Boston Celtics: “We’re here, and we’re not going away.” After the Heat got control of the initial tip, they ran a set where Bam Adebayo had the ball halfway between the three point line and halfcourt. Al Horford immediately and energetically closed the distance with active hands. The action was designed to get Max Strus the ball on the wing. In fairness, it did just that, but Jaylen Brown was with him every step of the way. Jimmy Butler was supposed to give Bam a solid screen to free him up in the corner, but Horford pursued relentlessly to body Bam before he could catch the ball. Normally, this set would be used to get Bam an opportunity to make something happen off the dribble. However, Marcus Smart was lurking, and he took advantage of Jimmy Butler moving up too high at the top of the key. All it took was a dig and poke. Bam lost his dribble, Smart hit the deck for the loose ball. Turnover. A sign of things to come.
A couple possessions later, 10:50 on the clock. Kyle Lowry ran a P&R with Bam. Lowry got a drive opportunity on Derrick White. Now, please study the very professional (and admittedly very reductive) graphic below and guess who is open on the Lowry drive. Take as much time as you need.
Now, just looking at that picture, it’s really easy to say, “Oh, Bam is open on the roll at the free throw line,” or, “Jimmy is open in the corner!” But the guy cheating off of Jimmy is Jayson Tatum, and the defender closest to Bam on the wing is Marcus Smart. This particular situation is worsened by Lowry’s own comparatively small size. Make no mistake, it was a tough spot to be in, though it is probably safe to say that throwing the ball over THREE defenders to get the ball into Kevin Love’s hands in the corner is the worst possible pass. White was able to get a hand on it and Brown came away with the ball. Rough start for Erik Spoelstra’s squad, and it didn’t get much better.
At 8:40 left to play, Smart pressured Lowry all the way up the court off the inbound. He received stagger screens designed to either give him a mismatch up top, Butler a mismatch on the wing, or Bam a mismatch in the mid post. Great design. Bam got Tatum and Lowry let the big man get to work. However, staunch defense from Tatum forced Bam into a bad situation: a dribble pickup directly under the basket. Butler once again ventured too close to half court and his man was able to dig down on help. Horford did the same as he helped off of Lowry. As Bam looked for a way out, he traveled. The third turnover in less than four minutes of action.
The Heat would give the ball away a total of 10 times in the first half, which produced a whopping 22.2 turnover ratio. For reference, that is double the turnovers and TO ratio of the Celtics. It’s already tough to win in the playoffs, but giving the ball away almost guarantees defeat. The Celtics generated 55.5% of their first half points off turnovers. Truly unacceptable at this stage in the game.
So what does Miami do? After all, their primary ball handlers are hurt. How can they generate some offense without turning the ball over or putting themselves in tough spots? For one, they need more Jimmy-Bam P&R. The stars have to be more aggressive. During the regular season, Jimmy Butler was 28th in P&R points per possession (1.09 PPP). Al Horford is a solid defender, but he cannot stop Bam if he decides to go upstairs for a lob off a roll. At this point, Miami players need to see the ball go through the basket by any means necessary.
It also might be time to move Duncan Robinson to the starting lineup. What he lacks on defense, he makes up for on the offensive side of the ball. He played very well in Game 5, and he showed off some other scoring options when the Celtics ran him off the three point line. So start Butler, Bam, Robinson, Caleb Martin, Kevin Love. If the Heat really want to keep going to the zone defense, they should be able to cover up some of their weaknesses on that end with this lineup. Haywood Highsmith provided some great offensive value off the bench and he could do so again. Having a secondary lineup that consists of Lowry, Highsmith, Bam, Jimmy, and Strus could prove effective. At this point, Miami has to be willing to try anything to get just one more win.
Finally, I know I just said something about the zone defense. Miami has taken a definite liking to it and found success throughout this very series when using it. But the Celtics have it figured out. They are out of their shooting slump, and the offense is absolutely humming. Derrick White was a flamethrower, Smart was 4-for-6 from deep, and Jaylen Brown shot 60% from beyond the arc. The Boston identity of hard defense and hot shooters has returned. It is clear that the zone is no longer working. There were actually stretches throughout Game 5 where Miami had finally found a rhythm but they could not get stops. I’m not saying it can no longer work; I am saying the Heat have to lock in more than they have been. They cannot afford to be late on rotations or fall asleep at the arc. Almost anything would be better: let the ball find Brown, run him off the line, and wait for a dumb turnover. Make Smart beat you off the dribble. Easier said than done, but something has to change. Regardless of what they do, they have to run shooters off the line, plain and simple.
On the Boston side of things, it would be shocking if they changed much. There are always things to be cleaned up, though at this point it would be really nit-picky.
Full Court Dime 