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The Boston Celtics find themselves down 1-0 in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals after dropping Wednesday night’s opener to the Miami Heat by a final score of 123-116.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla opted to go with a similar rotation to the one he’s been leaning on throughout the 2023 postseason, though sporadically made the questionable decision to incorporate Payton Pritchard into the mix rather than Grant Williams.
When asked to explain his reasoning to continue to overload on backcourt talents rather than give a frontcourt player like Williams, who has had success against the Heat in the past, a look the rookie headman stated that Boston “used the depth that we need in order to give us the lineups we think could really help us.”
“Obviously in the playoffs when minutes are expanding you look to play seven or eight guys which we’ve kind of done throughout. I think, in the start, I think Payton gave us an opportunity with his shooting, with his playmaking, and his pick-and-roll defense. Like we said before, Grant is always going to be ready and we’ve built a lot of versatility and depth in our lineup to where we can go a lot of different ways. We trust that anybody we call will be ready,” Joe Mazzulla said.
Grant Williams has been essentially excommunicated from the regular rotation for the Celtics throughout this year’s postseason, as he is seeing just 12.9 minutes per game on average when stepping on the floor and has racked up five total DNPs along the way.
However, despite this, the questioning reporter noted the power forward’s past production, which includes averages of 8.7 points and 4.1 rebounds on 38.9% shooting from deep during last year’s conference finals and 10.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 58.3% shooting from the floor and 58.8% shooting from deep during their four-game regular season series this year.
Even with his track record, however, Joe Mazzulla was seemingly disinterested in giving Grant Williams an opportunity in Game 1.
Perhaps their loss may alter his mindset heading into Game 2.
Jimmy Butler Describes Defensive Efforts on Jayson Tatum
The Miami Heat shined on both ends of the floor during their Game 1 win over the Celtics and perhaps their most impressive efforts came on the defensive end during the second half of action, as they held star forward Jayson Tatum to just four shot attempts.
When asked during a post-game interview what the “strategy collectively” was when it came to defending Boston’s centerpiece, Heat wing Jimmy Butler specifically noted three points of emphasis.
“Stay down, don’t foul, [and] make everything difficult for him,” Jimmy Butler said on defending Jayson Tatum. “You got to guard him with all five bodies out there on the floor. I think we did an excellent job of that.”
The six-time All-Star would continue on by noting that despite being pleased with Miami’s efforts and the game’s outcome, ultimately, “we still got another one to win.”
Once again, Jimmy Butler proved to be sensational for the Heat with his on-court abilities, as he finished the night off with a game-high 35 points while shooting 48.0% from the field and 50.0% from deep to go along with 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and a whopping 6 steals.
Jayson Tatum Highlights Grueling Third Quarter for Celtics
In three of the four quarters played Wednesday evening, the Boston Celtics handily won the matchup as they outscored the Heat 91-77. However, Miami’s third-quarter escapades made all the difference in the contest and, ultimately, played a major role in their Game 1 win.
When discussing the fatal period during his post-game media session, Jayson Tatum highlighted the specific shortcomings that led to their brutal turnout right out of the half.
“We gave up 46 points in the third so that’s defense, transition, offensive rebounds, and not closing out the shooters. There’s some things that we really gotta focus on and go over tomorrow at practice,” Jayson Tatum said.
The Celtics were outscored 46-25 in the third while allowing the Heat to shoot at a highly efficient 65.4% from the field and 66.7% from deep.
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