As the Miami Heat put the finishing touches on the Chicago Bulls in their Play-In matchup, punching their ticket to Boston for a date with the Celtics, chants of “We want Boston” echoed through the Kaseya Center.
Just 12 days later, the same chants reverberated throughout the TD Garden as the Celtics cruised to a 34-point victory in Game 5 , taunting Miami with the reversal of fortune.
It turns out Miami wanted no part of Boston.
The Celtics held firm control of the series, trailing for just 56 seconds across their four wins, the second-shortest duration any winning team trailed in a single round over the past 25 postseasons.
“We’re not going to put this on the fact that we had some injuries. Let’s not take anything away from Boston. They’ve been the best team in basketball all season long. And in this series, in four of the games, they played as such,” Erik Spoelstra admitted after Game 5.
“That had nothing to do with the injuries. Had nothing to do with guys that are available or not available. They played very good basketball – and they probably had something to motivate them even more against us. But they’ve played at a high level. I will not watch one minute of their games, but they’ll probably do this to several teams from here on out.”
This series highlighted the Celtics’ talent and maturity .
Boston was clearly the better team and didn’t mess around. As a result, the Celtics are heading to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. They will have until at least Sunday to regroup after a physical series with Miami.
As the Celtics recollect for practice at the Auerbach Center in preparation for the Conference semifinals after a well-deserved day off Thursday, let’s put a bow on Boston’s gentlemen’s sweep of Miami with a couple of lingering thoughts.
Top 100 Derrick White
That ESPN top-100 that excusably left Derrick White omitted is aging like milk.
After an All-Star caliber regular season, White picked up right where he left off.
The 29-year-old finished the series averaging 22.4 points while shooting 58% from the field, 48% from deep, and 90% on free throws, becoming just the second Celtic ever to average 20 points on 55-45-90 shooting splits in a playoff series, joining Ray Allen in the 2011 first-roundound vs the Knicks.
In Games 4 and 5, White made more three-pointers (13) than Miami as a team (12).
The All-Defensive guard was also steady on the defensive end, holding Miami shooters to 24-of-54 (44.4%) shooting from the field with two steals and five blocks. His five blocks are tied for second-most by a guard this postseason.
“ Super important,” Jayson Tatum said on White’s importance in the series. “Whenever they were trying to take away from other guys, that allowed him to free himself up and be aggressive and in attack mode throughout the series. Making the right play, shooting the ball extremely well, obviously, playing well on defense, as he always does. He’s in such a good flow and rhythm right now and hopefully, he continues to stay that way.”
White has emerged as a star this season. It’s hard to imagine –with or without a long postseason run – White won’t AT LEAST crack the top 100 next season.
Standing on business defensively
The Celtics entered the 2023-24 season with an increased emphasis on defense.
“ Defense is what gets you in the door . Defense is the admission ticket,” Joe Mazzulla said at the Celtics’ annual media day. “You just have to do it. You don’t really have a choice.”
Boston remained committed to this principle throughout the season, culminating in the second-ranked defense in the league (110.6), a strength they maintained in round one.
Boston held Miami under 95 points in four of the five games. The one exception was Game 2 when Miami hit a franchise-record 23 three-pointers. The Heat didn’t crack 90 points in any of the final three games, as Boston became the first team to score 100+ points while allowing fewer than 90 points in three straight games in NBA postseason history.
Sure, Miami was without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, but this is the NBA. Holding a team under 90 points is impressive, no matter how you slice it.
“That’s the team we want to be,” White said on Boston’s defense. “We’ve got guys up and down this roster that can guard multiple positions at a high level. So, that was a big emphasis for us - we’re going to have to get it done on that end the whole playoffs.”
Bench continues to shine
Joe Mazzulla mentioned the bench would be a key for the series, and they sure were.
The tandem of Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet each provided rock-solid minutes when called upon. As a result, Boston’s reserves finished an NBA playoff-best +31, on 47.1% shooting from the field and 37.5% from deep.
“They play the same way. Those guys bring a different layer on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said on his reserves. “It’s important that they continue to do that for us. Every series takes on a life of its own. So, it’ll be different matchups and different sub-patterns. But their open-mindedness and their ability to play regardless of the circumstances is important.”
Boston’s bench has been a difference-maker all season, and the first round was no difference.
Luke Kornet deserves special recognition for seamlessly stepping into the role of the team’s second center behind Horford following Porzingis’ injury and making significant contributions. Kornet’s impact was evident in Game 5, where he finished with a +21 plus-minus in his 18 minutes on the court, tallying two points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a block.
The Vanderbilt product also held Bam Adeabyo to just four points on 2-of-10 (20%) shooting with two turnovers when serving as the primary defender in Game 5. In the series, Adebayo scored 12 points on 5-of-14 (35.7%) shooting against Kornet with two turnovers.
Kornet and the bench, as a whole, continue to excel in their roles. With Porzingis sidelined, their contributions become even more crucial, and they have given you every reason to believe in them.
Growth from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
Tatum and Brown haven't been defined solely on scoring this season, and they continued this trend in the first round.
Although Brown (114 points) and Tatum (109 points) finished first and third in team scoring, their impacts extended far beyond just points.
Tatum showcased his dominance on the boards throughout the series. The five-time All-Star led the series in rebounding, securing 52 rebounds, resulting in a double-double performance in four of the five games.
Additionally, the 26-year-old recorded a team-high 27 assists across the five games, contributing to an NBA-best +78 rating.
As for Brown, the All-NBA wing shined in the aspects he values most: controlling the pace of the game and his defensive prowess. The California native notched five steals (tied for second-most on the team), three blocks, and limited Miami shooters to 21-of-46 (45.8%) shooting.
“Me and Jayson just got to continue to play our game like we’ve been doing our whole career and continue to show our growth and trust our teammates,” Brown said after Game 5. “If we’re going to win, we’re going to win as a team, and we’ve got to be able to use everybody to their best strength.”
Tatum and Brown have excelled at letting the game to them, and the Celtics have reaped the benefits.
Mazzulla Ball
Save for Game 2, Mazzulla was fantastic in this series.
A pivotal aspect of his coaching philosophy has been emphasizing the margins, an area in which the Celtics consistently excelled. Boston outshot (+1), outrebounded (+47), attempted more free throws (+43), and had fewer turnovers (-2).
Even with Miami’s 23 three-pointers in Game 2, the Celtics had a 75-56 (+57) advantage on the perimeter. The Celtics knocked down an NBA-best 75 threes across their five games on an Eastern Conference-best 38.5% clip.
Speaking of that historic performance in Game 2, Miami’s shooting from beyond the arc took a nosedive in the final three games of the series.
During this stretch, they converted only 21-of-90 attempts (23%) from three-point range. Notably, in Game 5, they struggled immensely, going a dismal 3-of-29 from beyond the arc (10.3%). This marks the second-worst 3-point field goal percentage in a playoff game in NBA history for teams with a minimum of 25 attempts. The only other instance comparable to this was when the Jazz shot 3-of-30(10.0%) against the Mavericks in Game 5 of the 2022 1st Round.
The Celtics are now 58-7 when making the same number or more threes as their opponents and 10-12 when making fewer.
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