Celtics (2-3) at Heat (3-2) ECF Game #6 5/27/23

[FLCeltsFan]

at
Boston Celtics (2-3) at Miami Heat (3-2)
Saturday, May 27, 2023
8:30 PM ET
TV: TNT
Eastern Conference Finals Game 6
Radio: WBZ-FM, WQAM/WAQI, ESPNR
Kaseya Center



Probable Celtics Starters
PGSG SF PF C
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Al Horford

Celtics Reserves
Grant Williams
Sam Hauser
Payton Pritchard
Luke Kornet
Blake Griffin
Mike Muscala
Robert Williams III

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Mfiondu Kabengele

Out/Injuries
Danilo Gallinari (ACL) out
Malcolm Brogdon (forearm) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla




Probable Heat Starters
PGSGSFPFC
PG: Gabe Vincent
SG: Max Strus
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Kevin Love
C: Bam Adebayo

Heat Reserves
Udonis Haslem
Haywood Highsmith
Nikola Jovic
Kyle Lowry
Caleb Martin
Duncan Robinson
Cody Zeller
Omer Yurtseven

2 Way Players
Jamal Cain
Dru Smith

Injuries
Tyler Herro (hand) out
Victor Oladipo (knee) out
Gabe Vincent (ankle) questionable

Head Coach
Erik Spoelstra

Game Notes
After the Celtics lost the first 3 games in embarrassing fashion, they were expected to be swept. Then they won Game 4 116-99 in Miami and they came home to win Game 5 110-97. The Celtics rediscovered their defensive identity, holding the Heat to under 100 points in both of those wins. Going back to last season, the Celtics are 7-1 in elimination games. They are 4-0 in elimination games this season.

Teams have found themselves in an 0-3 hole in the playoffs 150 times in NBA history. Of those 150 teams, 92, or 61%, lost Game 4 and were swept. Of the remaining 58 teams that avoided a sweep, 44 of those teams lost in Game 5. Of the 14 teams that won Game 5, 11 teams lost Game 6. Only 3 teams survived Game 6 and were able to force a Game 7. None of those 3 teams were able to win Game 7.

After being embarrassed in Game 3, the Celtics had a team meeting and have said that they are all on the same page and ready to play together. Joe Mazzulla, after taking the blame for the Game 3 collapse, said that he has faith in his players to pull this out. Al Horford said that the Celtics are not out yet if they find their defensive DNA, they can win the series. Jaylen Brown said that they would fight until the end and that they needed to come out and play with pride. They showed that defensive identity and fight in Games 4 and 5. Hopefully they can keep it up in this game.

There is a Boston precedent of coming back from an 0-3 deficit, although not the Celtics. In 2004, the Boston Red Sox faced the rival New York Yankees in the ALCS. They lost the first 3 games in the series and were trailing in the ninth inning of the fourth game. They came back to win the final 4 games of that series and then went on to sweep the St Louis Cardinals in the World Series to win the title. Along with this Red Sox team, 4 hockey teams have recovered from being down 0-3 in the playoffs to win the series. But, no NBA team has ever accomplished this feat.

Danilo Gallinari remains out for the Celtics as he continues to rehab a torn ACL. Malcolm Brogdon has been playing through a partially torn tendon in his elbow that results in pain throughout his right forearm. He was cleared to play in Thursday's Game 5 but struggled with zero points (0-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt). He left Game 5 after playing just 8 minutes and did not return. He is listed as questionable for this game and will be a game time decision. If he does play, he will likely be limited once again. Expect Derrick White, Grant Williams and possibly Payton Pritchard to get more playing time if he can't play.

Gabe Vincent missed Game 5 after spraining his ankle in the second half of Game 4. He was able to finish Game 4 but was ruled out for Game 5. He is listed as questionable for this game and his status will be a game time decision. I'm expecting him to play but if he can't, then I expect Kyle Lowry to start in his place. Victor Oladipo is out for the season after having patellar tendon surgery in his left knee. Tyler Herro also remains out after breaking the middle and ring fingers on his right hand in the first round series against Milwaukee.

Key Matchups
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Jimmy Butler
These 2 stars are key to their teams' success. Butler struggled in Game 3, finishing with just 14 points while shooting 33% from the field and hitting just 1 of 7 three pointers but with little defense from the Celtics, the role players stepped up and they got the win. Butler finished Game 4 with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block but he shot just 42.9% from the field and 23% from beyond the arc. He once again struggled in Game 5 with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals but he only took 10 shots. He will likely be aggressive and looking to take over this game and the Celtics have to be ready for it. Jayson Tatum needs to be aggressive on offense and on defense for the Celtics to have a chance in this game.

vs
Al Horford vs Bam Adebayo
After playing very well in Games 1 and 2, Adebayo had a very quiet Game 3, finishing with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He also had a quiet Game 4 with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal. He shot 57.1% from the field. He finished Game 5 with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. He shot 53.3% from the field and did not attempt a 3 point shot. He is dangerous around the basket to score and to grab rebounds. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint as well as off the boards. When he is aggressive, he can be a big problem.

Honorable Mention
Grant Williams vs Duncan Robinson
This will be a matchup of key reserves. Robinson finished Game 5 with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists. He shot 70% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc. He is a good shooter and is dangerous on the perimeter. However, he is not the best defender and the Celtics often can target him when they are looking to score. Grant Williams has played very well in this series and the Celtics need him to be aggressive on both offense and defense, especially with Brogdon either limited or out.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense will always be the biggest key to winning every game and is even more important in the playoffs. And, defense was the biggest failing for the Celtics in the first 3 games. We finally saw the Celtics get back to their defensive identity in Games 4 and 5 and they need to keep up the effort on that end if they hope to win this game. In Games 4 and 5, the defense keyed the offense as they got stops and forced turnovers and were running for transition baskets. The Celtics forced 16 turnovers in Game 5 for 27 Celtics points. The Celtics must once again make defense their priority in this game.

Rebound - As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and hustle and when the Celtics put out that extra effort to grab rebounds, it usually translates to other areas of the game as well. The Celtics were out-rebounded in both Games 1 and 2. However, they out-rebounded the Heat 57-35 in Game 3 with 21 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end. That was in part because of the Celtics missing so many shots and the Heat hitting most of theirs. The Celtics were out-rebounded 44-39 in Game 4 but they out-rebounded Miami 37-36 in Game 5 and outscored them in 2nd chance points 17-7. The Celtics have to work harder on the boards than the Heat and win the rebounding battle if they want to win this game.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. For the first 3 games, they have allowed the Heat to be more aggressive and to play with more energy and effort. The Celtics must be more aggressive in driving to the basket, in diving for loose balls, in boxing out and going for rebounds, and they have to be the team that just plays harder. The Celtics must especially be more aggressive on defense. They have to have each other's backs and they have to play smart team defense once again. Five seconds into Game 5, Marcus Smart immediately set the tone stripping the ball from Bam Adebayo, diving on the loose ball, then getting it to Tatum for a layup and a quick lead. That set the tone for the game. They need that same aggressiveness throughout Game 6 if they want to win it.

3 Point Shooting - Three point shooting is important for the Celtics. The Celtics are 38-2 when they shoot 40% or more from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games, the Celtics shot 29% on 3 pointers and 39% on open 3 pointers. In Games 4 and 5, they shot 40% on 3 pointers and 53% on open 3 pointers. The Celtics have to focus on moving the ball to find the open man and to create the best shots and they have to keep their focus to make those shots.

X-Factors
On the Road - The Celtics are playing on the road once again in this series. They need to get past the distractions of travel and being away from their homes and families and they have to keep from being rattled by the hostile crowd. The Celtics have to tune that out and play their game the right way. They have played better on the road than at home so far in the playoffs and they need to find that road focus in this game. They won Game 4 in Miami and they need to once again dig down deep and get this win on the road to prolong their season.

Coaching - Much has been made of the coaching matchup between rookie coach Joe Mazzulla and very experienced Erik Spoelstra. Joe Mazzulla has come under much scrutiny for his lineup decisions, his lack of time outs, and other coaching decisions in the first 3 games but he got some kudos for his decisions in Games 4 and 5. Spoelstra has clearly gotten the upper hand in the first 3 games, but Mazzulla came out on top in the last two games. Which coach will make the right moves in this game?

Officiating -Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. Some favor the home team. Some favor the road team. Some just make bad, head scratching calls. At times the officials have an agenda of some sort. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the refs call the game and not let bad calls and no calls take them out of the game or affect their focus. The Celtics simply must stop complaining about every single call. Focus on playing the game and not on the officials.

[jmost]

I expect MIA to come out with a lot of intensity, but if we play defense the way we did for the last 6 quarters, take care of the ball, and hit our open 3s, I think we'll be all right.

Joe M is growing as we watch. All season long he's been slow to call timeouts when the other team is on a run, but he's started to act swiftly in that regard, and rightly so.

We need one more big road win from our road warriors! Come on guys!

[freshnthehouse]

Boston needs to start making open 3s. Hopefully Miami could off. They arent missing from deep

[eja117]

That shot by Derrick White is maybe the greatest basketball play I've ever seen. It's an instant classic Havlicek stole the ball moment. At worst it's Fisk hitting the home run and waiving it fair. At best it will be ....whatever the best play in Celtics history is.

[jmost]

May 27, 2023 22:18:13 GMT -5 eja117 said:

That shot by Derrick White is maybe the greatest basketball play I've ever seen. It's an instant classic Havlicek stole the ball moment. At worst it's Fisk hitting the home run and waiving it fair. At best it will be ....whatever the best play in Celtics history is.

Season-saving play, but for it to be remembered we must win Game 7.

My we do things the hard way. How is it that we consistently blow 10 point leads with only a few minutes to go? D White bailed us out tonight, or this would have been a really ugly loss.

What the heck was going on with Butler for most of the game? He wasn't even looking for his shot. Very strange.

That was one of the most intense games, wire to wire, that I've ever seen.

[Roadrunner]

I watched the game, however had to recheck the box score to see if BOS actually won. All the usual bad STATs (Tatum poor shooting; BOS TOs; low 3P %; and out attempted), yet BOS found a way to win. With BOS, the only way is the hard way.

[eja117]

If you watch that last play frame by frame there's like 50 things wrong. I feel like there were two different options that were arguably better. The Heat set up a very good, logical, but somewhat disrespectful defense where they doubled Tatum by not even challenging the inbounds and put a taller very strong defender in Bam on Jaylen. I think if I were White I probably would have passed to Jaylen's right because that side was pretty free, and then he could have either gotten a half way decent shot from not too far away or gotten fouled. But Smart came more free towards the ball. Not a horrible choice to pass to Smart, but then Smart could have tapped right back to an uncovered D White for an open three. But Smart did what Smart could be expected to do, which was to take a bone headed hero ball contested shot, which by all rights should have ended the season. But D White never gave up on the play and ran towards the basket. Struss realized what was happening too late and took a bad angle and it was done. Nobody had boxed out D White. It should have been Bam who should have seen D White was closer and going towards the basket, as opposed to Jaylen who had his back to the basket but he stayed on his man, the taller, more athletic, better player. Nobody successfully boxed out Tatum, who also got himself right into the area of the ball and rim, only the ball just happened to bounce the other way to an uncovered D White who tapped, rather than double hand it, which must have been instinct knowing he had no time whatsoever.

I would very curious if Joe Mazz told them "You'll only have time for a tap. You will not have time for anything else but a tap because otherwise it's a shot." I suspect he did preach to go straight to the hoop because two players managed to do it, but amazingly Jaylen totally bailed on that and basically Horford wasn't able to get there either, which made room for Tatum. Not sure if that was a plan or not. It may have driven Caleb Martin away from boxing out Tatum, which was another mistake.

Also Jimmy Butler should have gone straight to the hoop after Smart started going up to shoot, but I'm not so sure he did. Tatum did. It seems to me the only two players that played it right were D White and Tatum, and even D White made a questionable decision getting it to Smart. Honestly I'm not even sure why Smart should be in the game. I think Hauser and Pritchard would have both been better options because they're better shooters, and Hauser is bigger. On the other hand Smart is unquestionably the better rebounder of that group and has far more gritty weird winning shot possibility than either of them, and neither Hauser nor Peyton would be likely to have any chance of getting a decent shot from inside the arc.

You have to give Mazz a ton of credit for not putting in Williams and realizing it was going to need to be a shot and those guys were his shooters.

[freshnthehouse]

May 27, 2023 22:35:59 GMT -5 jmost said:

What the heck was going on with Butler for most of the game? He wasn't even looking for his shot. Very strange.

That was one of the most intense games, wire to wire, that I've ever seen.

Butler was shook for a good portion of the 2nd half. He didn't trust his shot. but in true Butler fashion he was huge in the last couple minutes.

Agreed 100% on the intensity. Both teams wanted this one. My god Miami is well coached. They get the best out of all of their talent. They remind me of the 19-20 Raptors team that boston had to battle in the 2nd round. Just incredibly well coached, and well disciplined.

[jmost]

I just read an article about the refs screwing up the last Heat possession. Jimmy clearly double dribbled before Horford fouled him, and then, when Al did foul him, it was well before the shot attempt and Butler should have been shooting 2, not 3. It worked out, but we should have had the ball and a 2 point lead with a few seconds left.

[Roadrunner]

May 28, 2023 7:49:48 GMT -5 jmost said:

I just read an article about the refs screwing up the last Heat possession. Jimmy clearly double dribbled before Horford fouled him, and then, when Al did foul him, it was well before the shot attempt and Butler should have been shooting 2, not 3. It worked out, but we should have had the ball and a 2 point lead with a few seconds left.

jmost - What did you think of the officiating for the game? I thought the officiating was bad for both teams. Inconsistent calls.

eja117 - Butler told the team in the huddle, one-stop. Priceless.

freshnthehouse - I thought Butler changed his stroke during the game. He was originally shooting up & down, and when it was not falling he started shooting outside in, which is an offensive foul.

[eja117]

May 28, 2023 12:23:35 GMT -5 Roadrunner said:

May 28, 2023 7:49:48 GMT -5 jmost said:

I just read an article about the refs screwing up the last Heat possession. Jimmy clearly double dribbled before Horford fouled him, and then, when Al did foul him, it was well before the shot attempt and Butler should have been shooting 2, not 3. It worked out, but we should have had the ball and a 2 point lead with a few seconds left.

jmost - What did you think of the officiating for the game? I thought the officiating was bad for both teams. Inconsistent calls.

eja117 - Butler told the team in the huddle, one-stop. Priceless.

freshnthehouse - I thought Butler changed his stroke during the game. He was originally shooting up & down, and when it was not falling he started shooting outside in, which is an offensive foul.

I thought the officiating was a tad shaky. But generally clean. I didn't have huge problems with it. I thought the minor contact thing they sorta rescinded on Jaylen and Caleb was interesting. Maybe there should be more of that in the NBA.

[jmost]

For the most part I didn't notice the refs much. At no point did I think they were favoring either team, but of course they do make mistakes. However, I think they have a really hard job, and for the most part, I wish our guys would just stick to playing and quit their complaining.

[Roadrunner]

One trend I noticed is late whistles. Either call it, or don't.

Jmost - Yeah. Tatum has an awful habit of complaining, and Brown has seemed to picked this bad habit up as well. The issue I have with complaining is that it is 5 on 4 the other way.

[jmost]

I think they could probably call a foul on every play, so it's always a judgement call, more than a clear cut yes/no situation. I think that's what leads to the delayed calls. The ref sees something, but it's not egregious, so he only calls it if the shot doesn't fall. I kinda get it, even though it's a bad look.

Tatum does get a lot of calls. He seemed to be living at the line in Game 6, and he knocked down the FTs. Could the refs have called a few more for him? Sure, but I wish he'd spend more time thinking about what is working for him in that game and concentrate on doing that. Whining doesn't help the team. He's been almost perfect from 15 feet or so, but he's in love with the 3 - even when he's off that night.

[Roadrunner]

May 29, 2023 8:46:13 GMT -5 jmost said:

I think they could probably call a foul on every play, so it's always a judgement call, more than a clear cut yes/no situation. I think that's what leads to the delayed calls. The ref sees something, but it's not egregious, so he only calls it if the shot doesn't fall. I kinda get it, even though it's a bad look.

Tatum does get a lot of calls. He seemed to be living at the line in Game 6, and he knocked down the FTs. Could the refs have called a few more for him? Sure, but I wish he'd spend more time thinking about what is working for him in that game and concentrate on doing that. Whining doesn't help the team. He's been almost perfect from 15 feet or so, but he's in love with the 3 - even when he's off that night.

When I watch Tatum, and Brown I see the past. Bryant, and Jordan. However, light versions. Both need to add something more to their game.