The Miami Heat has been one of the more pleasant surprises since the restart of the season. Everybody knew they got it in them and it’s clear that they’re 100% committed to going the distance but no one ever saw them going 10-1 to start the playoffs.
Moreover, no one saw them going up 2-0 over the Boston Celtics. Not because they weren’t capable of doing it but because Brad Stevens’ team was supposed to fight back and tie the series. Needless to say, that never happened, as the Heat rallied back from a 17-point deficit and got a win in Game 2.
That’s why former Celtics player turned analyst Brian Scalabrine went on record to completely roast his former team, stating that they were passive for most of the game:
“Very frustrating loss and I have nothing to say. I don’t understand how they can fall off this bad. From what I know about basketball, the Celtics were supposed to respond. If Miami Heat punched back you were supposed to come back and they did not do it. They did not execute. They did not play with aggressiveness. They did not get in the right spots. I thought it was a very poor, poor performance by the Celtics,” Scalabrine started.
Kendrick Perkins gave his insight about the game and lauded Goran Dragic and the Heat’s passing. Then, Scalabrine went on on his rant vs. the Celtics, claiming it was a disgraceful effort and comparing them to the Clippers.
"They look like the Clippers out there."@Scalabrine & @KendrickPerkins give their initial thoughts on the #Celtics Game 2 loss pic.twitter.com/rk3R9UVxLH
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) September 18, 2020
“That was mental error after mental error. (…) When those guys cut you gotta be there. I mean, this slug, dunk fest, stepping through guys. I mean, it was disgraceful (…) They look like the Clippers to me,” Scalabrine concluded.
Not to take anything away from the Miami Heat, as they’re an outstanding basketball team. However, it seems like the Celtics just didn’t put on a fight in the second half. They looked flat, out of ideas, and even kind of scared.
That led to a bit of an altercation in the team’s locker room following the defeat. Hopefully, we’ll see the same-old physical, hard-nosed Boston Celtics in Game 3. Both teams are too good not to give us seven games in this series.
