![]() So good, it should come with a spoiler alert The Celtics will instead prioritize preventing Butler from getting to his spots, and when he, Herro, or another ball handler has possession they will gladly help off to deter drives inside. Tucker and Gabe Vincent to receive a similar lack of attention as the Bucks’ role players did. Giannis averaged 33.9 points, but they came on 45.5 percent shooting, his worst field goal percentage since the Raptors built a wall against him in 2018-19 on their way to a championship.īutler, Herro, and Kyle Lowry (if he’s able to return) are in for a new challenge. Next round, Boston was fine with leaving Brook Lopez and other teammates open outside as long as it meant preventing Giannis from getting easy drives into the paint. Durant shot under 40 percent from the field for the first time in a playoff series since 2016. Meanwhile, the Celtics had to get through Kevin Durant and the Nets in the first round and Giannis Antetokounmpo and the reigning champs in the second.Īgainst the Nets, the Celtics defenders stuck like glue to Durant, denying him the ball when he tried to get open while helping off non-shooters like Bruce Brown and Andre Drummond. The Heat faced a subpar Hawks team in the first round and the Sixers have a worse defense than the Celtics, who have speedy bigs in both Williamses, a positional master like Horford, and a bunch of hard-nosed, long-armed wing defenders. With teams switching more screens and handoffs, the chances to get easy points while strolling behind the 3-point line just aren’t there as often. That’s down to 62 percent and 0.62 points per chance during the playoffs, according to Second Spectrum. Strus popped on 82 percent of the screens he set during the season, scoring 0.96 points per chance. Plus, he’s such a strong shooting threat he took Robinson’s starting spot.īut we’ve seen how defenses can take away what worked for the Heat in the regular season. Only Max Strus has a greater point differential for the Heat this postseason, which is a testament to his two-way play and hustle on defense. The Heat have outscored teams by 118 points in the 374 minutes he’s been on the floor and been outscored by 12 in his 154 minutes on the bench. Throughout the playoffs, Butler has been integral to Miami’s success, averaging 28.7 points and 5.4 assists. Butler ended up roasting Philadelphia, sometimes as a result of the pressure on Herro, by slipping screens to roll inside, by cutting, or by simply ending up with an easier matchup against a scrambled defense. It was a pick-your-poison problem, though. We just watched the Sixers blitz Herro all series, using pressure to force him into some sloppy turnovers. ![]() If Herro and other Miami ball handlers are able to get into the paint for open shots or force the defense to collapse, leading to kick-outs for open 3s, then Boston must adjust. It’ll likely be a switch, at least to start the series. Herro won’t face a smaller guard on the perimeter or a big in the paint. If we include the past five postseasons, it’d still rank first. That’s an outlier number that ranks first out of the 95 combinations who’ve defended at least 25 pick-and-rolls during the playoffs, according to Second Spectrum. When Tatum and Al Horford have defended a pick-and-roll this postseason, they’re allowing a microscopic 0.25 points per play. ![]() This season, the Celtics switched on screens more than any other team, which was a calling card of the league-best defense that has carried them deep into the postseason. Derrick White is one of the better defensive guards in the league. Not only has Smart blossomed into the Defensive Player of the Year, but also, and more importantly, the Celtics don’t have any weak links anymore. Game 6*: Fri, Sept 25 Boston Celtics vs.The Suns Have Questions to Answer Before They Can Rise Again Nine Numbers That Tell the Story of the Mavs’ Game 7 Evisceration of the Sunsīut that option isn’t around anymore. Note: Schedule is tentative based on games every other day. We’ll post the schedule for the series once it’s announced. We’ll also be updating with any relevant news and injuries. Here you’ll be able to find all the information you need for the series, including how to watch each game, betting odds for the series, recaps and scores, plus NBA DFS analysis. Each side has a strong core of players with a few superstars, so we aren’t getting shorted by this series at all. 5 seed in the ECF for the first time in what seems like forever. The Celtics held off the Toronto Raptors to win in seven games, knocking out the defending champs. The Heat took down the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in five games. The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. ![]()
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