Star players are always relied upon when it comes to a do-or-die contest in the post-season, and that’s not going to be any different when the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat face off in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 29.
However, one or two players can’t win a game by themselves, sure, you need them to make a serious impact, but role players are also incredibly important in helping a team achieve victory. The Celtics learned this lesson in game seven against the Milwaukee Bucks, as Grant Williams erupted for 27-points on seven-for-eighteen shooting from the perimeter.
Now, the Celtics will be hoping another role player steps up for their game seven contest against the Heat and allows Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to play their natural game and not force up any unnecessary shot attempts. According to former NBA player Cory Alexander, Marcus Smart is the player that’s most likely to fill the ‘swing factor’ role for Boston on May 29, as his style of play is perfectly designed for the sort of high-stakes basketball we’re about to witness.
“It has to be Marcus Smart, and if you go back to look at his game two numbers after missing game one, 24 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds. Marcus Smart was all over the place and was a menace defensively, he did everything the Celtics needed him to do in a big win on the road.
Marcus Smart has to be more of a facilitator, he has to be the guy who gets everything going for the Celtics on both ends of the floor. And I think that he does that in game seven,” Alexander said on a recent episode of SportsCenter.
Derrick White Could be Key
Over the last two games between the Celtics and Heat, Derrick White has been an integral member of the Celtics rotation, leading the line off the bench and putting in some impressive performances.
Over the last two games, the 27-year-old guard is averaging 18 points, five assists, two rebounds, 2.5 steals, and a block per game while shooting 59.1% from the field and 44.4% from deep. If White can continue to have a similar impact off the bench, Boston can be confident in finding some important production during their moments when either Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, or Smart aren’t on the floor.
Give me more Derrick White short rolls, please! Limited contact creates confusion on the switch, plenty of room to attack middle, engage the big, and hit the floater.
Still, to win a game of this magnitude, you need every player on the floor to give maximum effort, and that means seeing high-level performances from the likes of Payton Pritchard, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams, who has been limited due to injuries and a lack of rhythm.
Miami is Dealing With Injury Issues
Heading into the May 29 contest, the Miami Heat have five players listed as questionable on their injury report, all of whom usually play an important role for the team. Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Tyler Herro, PJ Tucker, and Gabe Vincent will all be game-time decisions for Erik Spoelstra and his coaching staff, making it hard for Boston to gameplan their matchups.
Same Heat injury report for Game 7 and as for Game 6:
Tyler Herro, Questionable, Groin Strain
Kyle Lowry, Questionable, Hamstring Strain
Max Strus, Questionable, Hamstring Strain
P.J. Tucker, Questionable, Knee Irritation
Gabe Vincent, Questionable, Hamstring Strain
Regardless of who participates in game seven for the Heat, it’s clear that they’re far from full health, and the Celtics should look to take advantage of that fact. From increasing their physicality to upping their pace – there are numerous ways Boston can look to force Miami into deep waters with so many of their guys dealing with slight issues.
Of course, Boston isn’t a picture of health either, as Smart and Robert Williams are also questionable heading into the game. Still, Boston has the healthier roster on paper and also projects to have the deeper rotation and an advantage on the defensive side of the floor, so it’s up to them to perform and close the series out so that they can begin planning for the Golden State Warriors in the season finale.
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Celtics Guard Listed as X-Factor Heading Into Game Seven