With the exception of a stretch in the fourth quarter, Game 1 couldn’t have gone much better for the Celtics, who came away with a dominant 114-94 win and led by double-digits for most of the afternoon.
But Joe Mazzulla told reporters at practice on Tuesday he knows that a better Heat team awaits his squad in Game 2.
“If you think you’re not going to see a different version of Miami, then you’re kidding yourself,” Mazzulla said.
So, the Celtics, while certainly glad to come away with a win in the opening game of the series, know to avoid complacency. Jaylen Brown said the team needs to come out with the same urgency they did in Game 1, when they jumped out to a 17-2 lead.
“We got to come out with the same mentality, almost like we’re down 1-0 instead of we’re up,” Brown said. “We got to come ready to play, ready to fight, because we can’t expect them to come out and do nothing less. They’re well-coached. They are organized. They are disciplined. They’re gonna have a good game plan of attack. We got to make sure that we take them out of it.”
One potential adjustment the Heat may make is limiting the Celtics’ three-point attempts. On Sunday, the Celtics were red-hot against the Miami zone defense. They tied their postseason franchise record for made threes in a game (22), powered by a Jayson Tatum triple-double and double-digit scoring performances from six players. The team shot 44.9% from downtown, with Sam Hauser hitting 4 of 6 attempts, and Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis each hitting 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Miami rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., who had 16 points on Sunday, said he’s confident the Heat will be a lot better next game. Though Miami will still be without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, the Heat coaching staff will have had the opportunity to dive into film from Sunday’s loss.
“I think two days to prepare – that’s a lot of time to get mentally and physically ready,” Jaquez Jr. said postgame. “I know the coaching staff is going to work really hard to figure out a game plan. Us as players, we’re going to get ready to execute it.”
“I think 2 days to prepare – that’s a lot of time to get mentally & physically ready. I know the coaching staff is going to work really hard to figure out a gameplan. Us as players we’re going to get ready to execute it.”
“We’re going to be a lot better next game.”
– Jaquez pic.twitter.com/ZCeboFZB7E
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) April 22, 2024
For Joe Mazzulla’s team, it’s about upping the intensity rather than making any major changes.
“‘Better’ is just doing what we did with higher intensity and higher physicality – I think that’s what Game 2s call for,” he said. “The first adjustment is to do what you did with a higher level of intensity and a higher level of physicality.”
Payton Pritchard acknowledged that Miami may work to take away some of the Celtics’ three-pointers – the Celtics have led the league in three-point attempts (42) and makes (16.5) this season, and generated dozens of high-quality looks against the Heat on Sunday. But he also said the team is comfortable with taking different looks depending on what defensive adjustments Miami makes.
“We try to pride ourselves on taking what the defense gives us,” Pritchard said. “So, if they end up taking away more three-balls, we have the ability to go inside. Guys are capable of hitting those mid-ranges. If that’s what they want to give us, we’ve got to take them, and be confident taking them. But we have a lot of different options – it’s what makes us hard to guard.”
Joe Mazzulla noted that staying flexible with the game-plan is key. All year, he’s praised the Celtics for their open-mindedness and willingness to adjust on the fly.
“There’s a game plan, but we just can’t have an expectation of how that game plan is going to go,” Mazzulla said. “The game could call for something different. It could call for going small, it could call for double bigs, it could call for zone, different things. So, it’s just having an open mind, being ready to execute, and giving that particular game what it needs.”
Jaylen Brown on what he expects the Heat to be in like in Game 2:
“They’re going to be hungry. Even more aggressive… Be physical, knocking us to the ground. Just trying to win that physically match anyway they can… we’ll be ready to do the same thing.” pic.twitter.com/9HHK2uYaQA
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) April 23, 2024
Miami remains the team that sent the Celtics home last season, and Jaylen Brown is not taking the outcome of tomorrow’s game for granted.
“They’re going to be hungry,” Brown said. “Desperate. They’re going to come out fast, even more aggressive. Trying to turn us over. Just trying to crash the glass hard, be physical – knocking us to the ground. Just trying to win that physical match anyway they can. That’s what I foresee. But, we’ll be ready to do the same thing.”
