The Miami Heat crumbled to a big loss on their home court in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Boston Celtics comfortably out-classed them with a 25-point win. The Celtics got off to a hot shooting start and the Heat’s offensive woes continued as the Celtics managed to lock down all Heat players not named Jimmy Butler.
However, the Celtics have earned their reputation as a top defensive team this season, so they were bound to figure out how to stop the Heat from scoring. Considering how the Heat roster has been built, they do not have a lot of scoring prowess, instead choosing to score through carefully executed team sets or isolation plays from Jimmy Butler or Tyler Herro.
Coach Spoelstra recognizes the level of competition in the ECF, considering he has never lost one. The Celtics, on the other hand, haven’t won an ECF series since 2010. Coach knows his team needs to figure Boston out and said the same with confidence after their Game 2 loss:
Erik Spoelstra after Game 2:
“This one counts as one. That’s what the experienced players in the locker room understand” pic.twitter.com/qHA5n57VaD
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) May 20, 2022
“When you get to this point of the Conference Finals, you just have very good teams. You have teams without many weaknesses and it is great competition. This only counts as one, that’s what experienced players in the locker room understand and they like it. They (Boston) played extremely well, two very good teams, but we still have some things to figure out. ”
The Heat team has a very experienced coaching staff and front office, with many players from their 2020 NBA Finals run still on the squad. However, many of the role-players like Max Strus and others haven’t been in a position like this.
If there’s a coach that can make the right adjustments in Game 3 in the TD Garden, it’s coach Spoelstra, as he is one of the most experienced playoff coaches in the NBA today.
