Juices were flowing at the start of Game 1. The Boston Celtics kicked off the game with a Jayson Tatum miss and an offensive rebound which led to a Jaylen Brown three. On their very next possession, Brown got the ball again, spun baseline around Jamie Jaquez Jr., and threw down a thunderous slam.
TD Garden erupted.
A 9-0 run to start the game forced Erik Spoelstra to call an early timeout. As shot after shot fell for Boston, the crowd got louder and louder. But their early-game shot-making wasn’t what led the charge.
It was their defense.
As the Celtics offense hummed, everything the Heat got on the other end was difficult. Bam Adebayo was forced to take contested middies, Tyler Herro jacked up step-back threes from two feet behind the arc, and Jaquez drove into a contested paint, getting blocked along the way.
Joe Mazzulla has stressed the importance of holding teams to 25-point quarters all year. In Game 1, the Heat tallied 21, 24, and 14 points in the first three frames, respectively.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s just the process. Those are just a range of numbers, and it’s just a process of how to get those,” Mazzulla said. “Keeping them out of transition, keeping them off the glass, keeping them on the free-throw line, [and] having good offensive execution. So, again, it’s about doing the most simple things under higher duress, and that’s the key to winning.”
2024 NBA Playoffs – Miami Heat v Boston Celtics Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
Through three, the Heat only had four fastbreak points, four offensive rebounds, and six free-throw attempts. Meanwhile, Boston was shooting 33/69 (47.8%) from the field and 19/43 (44.2%) from deep.
The Celtics’ defensive dominance was a team effort, but Jrue Holiday stood out. He made Tyler Herro’s life impossible by preventing him from getting to his spots and pulling up. Herro finished the night shooting 4/13 from the field with two turnovers.
“Jrue’s ability to just stick to a game plan but, at the same time, use his instincts is huge for us,” said Mazzulla. “And so, he did a great job on that throughout the game, staying with him, and making it difficult. And we need him to continue to do that. So, [we] got off to a great start defensively with his effort.”
Miami’s 14-point third quarter was the highlight of Boston’s efforts, as the Heat shot just 6/21 (28.6%) from the floor and 2/14 (14.3%) from distance.
Their rotatio
