The Miami Heat defeated Boston in Game 1 of the East Finals 118-107. Jimmy Butler is in alpha mode, and yet the Celtics can take a lot from this game.
That was a statement Jimmy Butler made in the second half of Game 1 against the Boston Celtics. The forward scored 27 out of 41 points after the change and also seemed to give a clear signal in the direction of Jayson Tatum, who was so often named the best player in the series beforehand.
“I love the physical game and like to run into my opponents to see who falls down first,” Butler said of his performance. “I want to know who gives up first.”
In Game 1 it wasn’t Butler who fell down in this cockfight, but Tatum, even if he started furiously with 21 points in the first half. After the break, however, Tatum had little to smile about. The Celtics star only recorded one field goal, made 6 ball losses and was fooled twice in a short space of time by Butler in the third quarter. Butler smelled Tatum’s pass, both times it was basically a pick six for the 32-year-old.
It all happened right after the Celtics called out to stop the Heat’s run after the break. Instead, Miami extended the lead to +12, it was a 21-2 run by the Heat that brought back memories of Game 2 of the 2020 Conference Finals when Miami won the third quarter 37-17.
Boston Celtics lack depth
Now you can let the phrase pig ring. Butler was ready for the task and Tatum (like the entire Celtics team) was casual in the third quarter. These are all valid points, but in this game you could see quite clearly who had two days more break and who had defeated the reigning Finals MVP on Sunday.
The Celtics dealt with the defeat accordingly calmly, only coach Ime Udoka spoke of a disappointment and meant primarily the third quarter, which the Celtics gave up with 14:39. Here the guests gave away a possible surprise, otherwise you could not have rated a win in game one.
Not only did the Celtics have less breaks, they also had to do without important supports in Marcus Smart (foot) and Al Horford (Corona). Suddenly Aaron Nesmith (3 partly spectacular blocks) saw minutes of rotation and Payton Pritchard played 30 minutes. The guard did a good job, especially in the first half, after that it was Butler who basically played Pritchard off the field and on the other hand didn’t do it because Udoka had no more alternatives on the bench.
The new NBA newsletter from SPOX expert Ole Frerks just in time for the playoffs – register now!
Jimmy Butler chases Payton Pritchard
To be clear, the available players who didn’t play at Boston were Malik Fitts, Luke Kornet, Juwan Morgan and of course G-League legend Nik Stauskas. And so Pritchard struggled at the back end in his usual fashion, but his size disadvantage couldn’t mask that.
The Heat ran ten pick’n’rolls in the fourth quarter, in which they involved Pritchard, seven times the 24-year-old was attacked directly, resulting in 13 points. That certainly wouldn’t have happened with Smart, but it remains unclear when the reigning Defender of the Year will be able to step in again.
So Butler had his mismatch, which he was able to use when Boston no longer just threw the ball away in the fourth quarter, but forced Miami to half-field offense. The Heat did better than expected here, but only recorded 25, 29 and 25 points in the other three quarters.
Boston won all other periods, but in the end the twelve minutes after the break were their undoing. These twelve minutes will initially stick, but that doesn’t change the fact that this series will probably remain tight. Miami did its duty in game 1, now it’s up to Boston to tackle the problem areas mentioned.
Heat vs. Celtics: More notes on the game
- It wasn’t a good performance from Jaylen Brown, although the 24 points (7/17 FG) and 10 rebounds don’t look that bad on the box score. The forward dribbled far too much, got stuck too often and also showed weaknesses on the free-throw line (6/10 FT). If that continues, Miami has two of the top three players in this series in Butler and Bam Adebayo, a factor not to be underestimated.
- Speaking of Adebayo: what he cleared away in the third quarter was extremely strong. The fact that Boston was only able to add 6 points in the second 24 minutes after 42 points in the zone was mainly due to the Big of the Heat. Brown may not sleep well tonight.
- We addressed it in the preview, Gabe Vincent is always good for a blast. The guard, who continues to replace Kyle Lowry in the starting five, hit three three-pointers, blocked three shots and finished the game with the second-best plus-minus (+23) behind Butler. The 25-year-old is also a clerk on defense and therefore valuable against the Celtics, as Boston does not have THE elite ball handler and Vincent can take important seconds off the shot clock.
- What happened to Derrick White’s throw? It’s not like he’s ever been a good shooter, but 24 percent is very concerning. Too often, the 27-year-old even refuses to throw, which hurts the Celtics offense. If Max Strus can also hit White from dribbling, that doesn’t bode well for Boston.
- Victor Oladipo may be the steal of the 2021 Trade Deadline, when the Heat took the ex-All-Star for a second-round pick. The guard is another good option on defense and is always good for 20 points on a good day. This time it was only 5 (2/9 FG), but he also put enormous pressure on Tatum and Brown defensively, causing them to make mistakes.
NBA Playoffs – Heat vs. Celtics: The Series at a Glance (1-0)
| Spiel | Datum | time | Heim | away | result |
| 1 | May 18th | 2.30 a.m | Miami Heat | Boston Celtics | 118:107 |
| 2 | 20. May | 2.30 a.m | Miami Heat | Boston Celtics | |
| 3 | 22. May | 2.30 a.m | Boston Celtics | Miami Heat | |
| 4 | 24. May | 2.30 a.m | Boston Celtics | Miami Heat | |
| 5* | 26. May | 2.30 a.m | Miami Heat | Boston Celtics | |
| 6* | 28. May | 2.30 a.m | Boston Celtics | Miami Heat | |
| 7* | 30. May | 2.30 a.m | Miami Heat | Boston Celtics |
*if necessary
