Heat Couldn’t Overcome KG Absence

Look, this isn’t really a 4/5 matchup. The Celtics are a better team than that, and the Heat, some might reflect now, are worse. That said, I am not giving up the series quite yet.

Sure, the Heat failed on a great opportunity to even up this series and steal the momentum just in time for some home cooking. A 1-1 scenario with the Heat coming back to South Florida would have been very tantalizing. So, what happened? The Heat fizzed out.

The Heat were a hot team to close out the season, going 18-4. They probably felt a bit too confident heading into Tuesday night’s contest with Kevin Garnett suspended for his tantrum with 40 ticks left in the game. The other locker room, however, probably recognized that they had to step up their game since A) the Heat weren’t as easy of an opponent as they may have thought prior to game 1 and B) no KG meant someone had to pick up the slack. The Celtics raised their game – and left the Heat in the dust.

This is a clear sign of maturity and seasoning. The Heat did not have the right mixture to take advantage and they certainly didn’t have the right focus. We can’t forget that Erik Spoelstra, despite his coaching staff, has very little in-game experience in the playoffs. Outside of Wade, Haslem, and Jermaine O’neal, there is very little successful experience on the court, too. That isn’t to make an excuse, it is just to show the long road the Heat have to climb.

Right now, this is about avoiding a sweep. Are the Celtics going to play as good as they did Tuesday night? No, they won’t be that flawless even with KG back. But will the Heat be as bad? No, they won’t either. So, the Heat will have to raise their intensity and go after every lose ball and push defensively to win game 3. They have to stop backing off of shooters and getting up on players that like to create off the dribble. They need to stop being stupid with the ball and making poor shot selections. They also need to consider some personnel changes – why not put Daequan Cook out on the floor to spread the offense and force the defense to compensate? Adjustments will need to be made, but the question is, what will the Heat do to take game 3? Game 4? Don’t even think about it.