The pressure is now on the Heat. They look to close out the series in Miami, because if they lose, it’s back to Boston for game seven.
As I tend to do in many of my blogs, I’m going to try something different in this post. For the first time in months, my three brothers and I are sleeping under the same roof. This creates a continuous debate/talk show that my Mom can’t escape, but I noticed today that it could also be a source for my articles. So, I asked each of my brothers to let me know their thoughts on the Celtics-Heat series. Now, I’ll go through each of their takes, breaking down their opinions to see if there is any wisdom wisdom hiding in them, however slim those chances may be.
BROTHER ONE
“Our role players final decided to play like the Heat’s role players have been. Never will I wish for an injury or celebrate it, but Gabe Vincent missing last game was massive for the brand. If he misses game six it’s curtains for the Heat.”
Connall
Gabe Vincent is questionable to play in game six as of now, and I totally agree with Connall here. Who would’ve thought entering the series that Gabe Vincent would be the deciding factor, but here we are. Kyle Lowry, who filled in as Vincent’s replacement in the starting lineup, was eaten alive by Boston’s defense in last night’s matchup. In 31 minutes played, he finished with five points, four turnovers, and only one assist. That stat line is not what you want to see from your starting point guard.
The stat line you do want to see from a starting point guard is 23-3-2 on 4-6 three point shooting, or 24-3-1 on 6-8 from beyond the arc. Those numbers belong to Marcus Smart and Derrick White respectively, and between the two of them they also had seven steals and only three turnovers in 66 minutes. This is exactly what Connall was talking about when he said Boston’s role players have finally showed up to the party. Both Smart and White outscored Brown and Tatum who had 21 apiece. If this production from the Celtics’ supporting cast continues into games six and seven, the Heat will be soaking in rays on vacation while Tatum and Jokic go toe to toe in the finals.
BROTHER TWO
“If Jaylen Brown builds off of his last game and continues to play at that level, the Heat won’t stand a chance.”
Fred
In my last blog post (link), I mentioned Jaylen Brown’s importance to the success of the team. He hadn’t had a single game which was up to his usual standards until last night, and his performance in that game wasn’t anything spectacular. He finished 21-2-2, but the important statistics were his one turnover and 60% from beyond the arc on five attempts. So, I agree with Fred here. Jaylen needs to keep his turnovers low and three point percentage high in order for the Celts to succeed, and last night was a step in the right direction in both of those fields.
BROTHER THREE
“I think game six decides the series. If we win game six, I can’t see us not winning game seven. Tatum still hasn’t had one of his monster games yet, so I’d bet on him carrying the Celts to wins in game six and seven.”
Larkin
Listen, I’ve been hearing from everybody that game six is a game seven for the Heat, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. While the Garden has been known to be one of the best home court/ice advantages in the NBA and NHL, in past years the opposite has been true. This postseason alone, the Celtics are 4-9 in home games, and the Heat have already been able to win two in the Garden. So, on this portion of the take, I don’t necessarily agree with Lark and many other Boston fans.
When it comes to our opinions on Tatum, Lark and I are on the same page. Tatum has yet to show why he is “humbly” one of the best players in the world this series, but he tends to show up late, so I also expect him to make a splash on the score sheet in these last two games. Tatum’s player performance double for 30 points and a Boston win is my choice bet in this series going forward.