Takeaways from ugly Game 4 loss to Celtics on a historically bad night for Heat’s starters
Five takeaways from the top-seeded Miami Heat’s ugly 102-82 loss to the second-seeded Boston Celtics on Monday night at TD Garden. The Eastern Conference finals is tied 2-2, with Game 5 set for Wednesday in Miami:
Just like the first three games of the series, Game 4 was decided by one very dominant stretch.
In Game 4, it happened in the first quarter.
The Heat couldn’t make a shot to start the game, as it missed its first 14 field goal attempts. The Celtics built an 18-1 lead during that span.
Guard Victor Oladipo hit the Heat’s first shot of the night, a three-pointer with 3:22 left in the first quarter.
“They came out and jumped us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think probably more than anything, our offense really hurt us at the beginning. We just weren’t getting the kind of purposeful execution that you need to on the road.”
How cold was the Heat to start Monday’s game?
The Heat became the first team without a made field goal in the first six minutes of a playoff game since 2013, according to ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry.
And with the Heat not making its first field goal until 3:22 left in the opening quarter, it marked the longest drought for a team without a field goal to start any playoff game over the last 25 years.
The Celtics ended up winning the first quarter 29-11. The Heat shot just 3 of 20 (15 percent) from the field in the period for its lowest-scoring playoff first quarter in franchise history.
“They jumped out to that lead and that was the story for the rest of the game,” Spoelstra said.
Boston then outscored Miami 28-22 in the second quarter to take a 24-point lead into halftime. The Heat won the second half 49-45, but that only mattered to shave off a few points from the margin of defeat.
Game 4 was a continuation of a very weird trend that has helped decide the first four games of the East finals.
The Heat took Game 1 because it won the third quarter 39-14. Boston outscored Miami 93-79 in the other three quarters, but it couldn’t overcome the Heat’s dominant third period.
The Celtics bounced back in Game 2 behind a strong first half that they won 70-45. Miami and Boston played to a 57-57 tie in the second half.
The Heat got Game 3 because it outscored the Celtics 39-18 in the first quarter. Miami didn’t win another quarter the rest of the way and still won the game because of its fast start.
And the Celtics won Game 4 because their defense shut down the Heat in Monday’s first quarter.
Because of these huge runs and wild in-game swings, either the Heat or Celtics has held at least a 20-point lead in each of the first four games of the series.
The Heat’s starting lineup had a very, very bad night.
As one would imagine on a night Miami scored just 11 points in the first quarter, the Heat’s starters struggled in Game 4. But the struggles were historic.
The Heat’s starting lineup combined for just 18 points on 7-of-36 (19.4 percent) shooting from the field and 1-of-10 (10 percent) shooting on threes in Monday’s loss. It’s the fewest points by a starting five in a playoff game since starters were first tracked in the 1970-71 season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
After scoring 31 points on a career-high 22 shot attempts in the Heat’s Game 3 win, Bam Adebayo totaled just nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field on Monday.
Jimmy Butler, who played after sitting out the second half of Game 3 with right knee inflammation, did not look as explosive as usual. Butler finished Game 4 with six points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field.
“I’m straight. No excuse for how I played tonight. It don’t got nothing to do with my knee,” Butler said. “I’ve just got to be better. I will be better. I’m not too worried about it.”
In his second game back from a strained left hamstring, Kyle Lowry recorded three points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.
Max Strus didn’t make a shot, finishing scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 shooting on threes.
P.J. Tucker also ended the night scoreless and missed each of his four shot attempts.
On their way to closing the game with 18 points, the Heat’s starters finished Monday’s first half with just 12 points. It marked the fewest points by a starting lineup in the first half of a playoff game since the Philadelphia 76ers’ starters scored nine points in the first half of a 2011 playoff game against the Heat.
The Heat’s starting group, which entered Game 4 with an impressive plus-minus of plus-60 in 119 minutes together this season, was an awful minus-28 in 13 minutes on Monday.
Celtics All-Star wing Jayson Tatum outscored the Heat’s starters 31-18 in Game 4.
“We did a lot of things poorly offensively,” Spoelstra said.
The Heat missed a lot of shots, but the Celtics’ elite defense deserves a lot of credit.
Boston, which closed the regular season with the NBA’s top defensive rating, made Miami’s offense uncomfortable from the start. The Heat’s first-half shot chart was proof of that.
With the Celtics switching nearly everything and going under on screens, the Heat simply could not find its way into the paint.
Miami, which entered averaging 19.7 shots at the rim per game in the series, took just four shots at the rim in Monday’s first half.
“They did a better job of getting into us and rotating guys into the paint,” Spoelstra said of the Celtics’ defense. “You know, similar coverage to the other night. I think just a little bit more purposeful on their end. A few more extra efforts.”
Instead, the Heat settled for eight midrange jumpers in the first half. Midrange attempts made up 20 percent of the Heat’s shots in the first half.
That’s a higher percentage that Miami would prefer, with the Heat aiming to take as many shots at the rim and from three-point range as possible. The Heat entered with midrange attempts representing 16.7 percent of its shots this postseason.
It’s also worth noting that the Heat took just two corner threes (5 percent of total shots) in Monday’s first half. In the regular season, an NBA-high 12.4 percent of the Heat’s shots were corner threes.
“We settled for too many mid-range jump shots, myself included,” Butler said. “A lot of shots behind the three that weren’t even good ones, at that.”
The return of Celtics center Robert Williams made a difference, as he finished with two blocks and helped to deter the Heat from the rim. Williams missed Game 3 because of left knee soreness.
Celtics veteran forward Al Horford also helped protect the paint. Horford recorded a team-high four blocks.
Making the performance even more impressive is the fact that Boston did all of this without Defensive Player of the Year Award winner Marcus Smart, who missed Monday’s game because of a sprained right ankle.
One of the lone bright spots for the Heat in Game 4 was the play of its bench.
While the starters struggled, the Heat’s bench combined to score 64 points in Monday’s loss.
Even with the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award winner Tyler Herro not available on Monday because of a strained left groin, Miami’s bench still produced some positive moments in an otherwise dismal showing for the team.
Oladipo finished Game 4 with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, 4-of-7 shooting on threes and 5-of-8 shooting from the foul line in 30 minutes. Oladipo scored 18 of the Heat’s 33 first-half points on Monday.
Duncan Robinson totaled 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from deep in 23 minutes in Game 4, which is the most points he has scored and the most threes he has made in a game since finishing the playoff opener with 27 points on 8-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Robinson got going in Monday’s fourth quarter, scoring 12 points on four made threes in the period.
Caleb Martin was also solid in the Game 4 loss, contributing 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 shooting on threes and six rebounds in 25 minutes.
After a rough Game 3, Tatum was the best player on the court in Game 4.
Tatum finished Monday’s win with a game-high 31 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 14-of-16 shooting from the foul line, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks for the Celtics.
This comes after Tatum was limited to just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 shooting on threes in Game 3.
Tatum was much more aggressive and effective in getting into the paint and drawing fouls on Monday. He took 16 free throws in Game 4 after attempting a total of 11 free throws in Games 2 and 3.
“The toughest part was, he was able to get into gaps, get angles and draw fouls,” Spoelstra said of Tatum. “That was the toughest part. He was able to get into a good rhythm just by seeing the ball go in from the free-throw line quite a bit.”
But Tatum’s co-star Jaylen Brown was not as good Monday. Brown, who scored 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field in Game 3, finished with just 12 points on 5-of-20 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 shooting on threes in Game 4.
As a team, the Celtics actually weren’t that good offensively. Boston shot just 39.7 percent from the field and 8 of 34 (23.5 percent) on threes, but still cruised to the win because of its dominant defensive effort, Miami’s shooting struggles, and 32 points at the free-throw line.
This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 12:09 AM.
