As Heat’s depth all pulls on the rope, Celtics’ supporting cast falters in crushing Game 2 loss
"They out-toughed us tonight and they found a way to make plays down the stretch."
Jimmy Butler was the hero at TD Garden on Friday night, sinking multiple tough baskets in the fourth quarter en route to another scrappy Miami victory — and a crushing home defeat for the Celtics.
As Butler goes, so goes a Heat team looking to become the second eighth-seeded squad to punch its ticket to the NBA Finals.
But it was a telling sight in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals that the true dagger delivered by Miami didn’t come from its franchise star.
Nor did it come from the Heat’s established second option in Bam Adebayo.
Rather, it was Gabe Vincent — the undrafted guard out of UC Santa Barbara — who delivered the coup de grâce on Causeway Street.
Vincent did his best impression of MJ over Bryon Russell with 35 seconds left on the clock, connecting on a smooth jump shot after shaking loose of Jayson Tatum.
It gave Miami a 107-103 advantage — an edge it did not relinquish en route to a 111-105 victory.
Down the other end of the court, the Celtics’ top star labored in crunch time. After Tatum dropped 29 points through the first three quarters, Erik Spoelstra and the Heat dared any other player in green and white to beat them.
Miami’s stingy zone defense snuffed out any easy baskets down the paint. In the moments when Tatum did have the ball in his hands, a double-team wasn’t far behind.
Tatum finished with just five points in the fourth quarter, all coming from the charity stripe.
Boston desperately needed more of its regulars to step up with Tatum bottled up.
But no relief came.
The only Celtic who made a basket in the final eight minutes of regulation? Grant Williams, whose positive contributions were negated by sparking Butler’s fourth-quarter barrage.
All season long, the Celtics have been buoyed by its star duo in Tatum and Jaylen Brown, no doubt.
But Boston’s depth across the roster has also bailed this team out in critical situations.
But in a back-breaking loss, few players managed to pull on the rope to prevent an 0-2 deficit in this best-of-seven series.
“They out-played us,” Brown said postgame. “They out-toughed us tonight and they found a way to make plays down the stretch and we didn’t.”
On a night where the Heat generated 40 points off of another pair of undrafted players in Caleb Martin (25 points, 11-of-16 shooting) and Duncan Robinson (15 points, 6-of-9 shooting), Boston’s heralded group of starters beyond Tatum sank Boston’s hopes of a bounce-back showing.
Brown opened the game with a 1-for-7 slump in the first quarter, eventually finishing with 16 points on 7-for-23 shooting. The trio of Brown, Al Horford, and Marcus Smart were a combined minus-54 on Friday night.
With Tatum unable to get into a rhythm, the Celtics’ offense found itself mired in the mud for the majority of the fourth quarter.
“They do a good job of mixing up when they go zone and when they go man,” Brown said. “They keep you on your toes with the people they got on the floor. We just haven’t figured it out.”
Friday’s letdown wasn’t exactly a carbon copy of Tatum’s showing in Game 1. Even though both games featured Boston’s star failing to sink a shot in the fourth quarter, Wednesday’s defeat featured extended stretches where Boston’s offense didn’t run through the 25-year-old forward.
In Game 2, Tatum tried to counter Miami’s pressure and double-teams by acting as a facilitator. But attracting so much defensive attention and drawing players away from teammates only serves as a winning formula when said teammates are knocking down those shots.
“I had the ball a lot,” Tatum said of his play in the fourth. “Playing more point and making plays. Obviously I draw a lot of attention, so creating for others. … We got some good looks late in that fourth — driving and kicking. Some of the shots didn’t fall.”
Some of the onus has to fall on a superstar like Tatum to rise above Miami’s defensive schemes and keep his team afloat with a basket.
But Boston can’t keep expecting Tatum to go nuclear in the fourth quarter in order to keep its season alive.
Not when there are another handful of elite players who also share the court with him.
“Obviously, something we need to get together, man,” Rob Williams said, adding: ”Time is running out … We ain’t got time for these mess-ups.”
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