The Celtics’ Game 2 loss to the Heat was hopefully just an anomaly

Of course they did. We should have known that. I swear the Heat exist to make everything difficult for the Celtics, even in years, like this one, where the Greens are clearly superior.

On Wednesday, the Heat did it in a way most unexpected for them, and in a way that was so often part of the Celtics’ winning formula during their 64-win regular season: with a barrage of 3-pointers points.

The Heat buried 23 of 43 three-point attempts, the most in a playoff game in franchise history and the fourth most of any team in the postseason. Needless to say, it was their season-high 3-pointer.

The Celtics, meanwhile, shot just 12 of 32 from 3. There’s no way the Celtics ever thought they could be beaten in their own game like this.

“They came up with a good game plan, they feel confident and they execute it,” said Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics with 33 points, including 15 in the final four minutes, 17 seconds of the first half. -time. “I just thought they made a lot of shots that we feel comfortable with, but it’s the playoffs, that’s what it is. We have to react.

The Heat’s long-range shooting was such an exception that it would be practically irrational to expect it to happen again. Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith combined to drain 16 of 21 3-point attempts, while Tyler Herro was offense unto himself, with 24 points (including six 3s) and 14 assists.

This is neither sustainable nor reproducible over a series…well, probably not. But what it represents is what should trouble Celtics fans who, after the home team’s 20-point victory in Game 1 Sunday, were justified in dreaming of exorcising that enemy in the same way they did swept Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and the Nets. in the first round two years ago.

NOW? It’s plausible that this plays out like the first-round series against rookie Al Horford and the Hawks in 2008, when the eventual champion Celtics needed seven games to eliminate a lesser opponent.

The Heat will no longer torch the Celtics on 3-point land with such volume and precision. But this Celtics loss reminds us that Erik Spoelstra – the best coach in the NBA for some time now – still has his team ready and his players are malleable enough to adapt to the next plan he hatches to frustrate the Celtics. .

The Heat could be shorthanded, with Jimmy Butler, the Heat’s embodiment of composure, out with a knee injury. But they’re still not afraid of this situation – and the Celtics –.

Two years ago, the Celtics beat the Heat in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals – winning the deciding game in Miami – and yet that series is best remembered for its wild ending, when Butler missed a pull-up 3 that would have stolen the series. after a Boston crisis at the end of the match.

Last year, the Heat won the Celtics’ first three games in the conference finals rematch. The Celtics, showing some resilience, won the next three games before falling in Game 7 after Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle.

Over the offseason, after that disappointment, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens upgraded the roster in all the right ways, adding Washington’s Kristaps Porzingis in a trade for the beloved but erratic Marcus Smart, then acquiring Jrue Holiday – a better and more conventional version of Smart – from Portland.

We must not forget that Holiday and especially Porzingis were not good in the second game. Holiday, perhaps tired of being constantly hit by Bam Adebayo’s picks/head blocks, shot just 4 of 12 and had as many turnovers as he did assists, 2. He’s an admirable player . The player and his versatility serve as a link for the starting five, but the Celtics need more stability in Game 3 and beyond from the only player on the roster with a championship ring.

Porzingis was just objectively bad, as cold from the field (1-for-9 overall, 0-for-4 from 3 and a minus-32) as the Heat were collectively hot. Miami made him work for every inch of space and often double-teamed him as soon as he got the ball, but most of the time he narrowly missed makeable shots. He’ll be better in Game 3, even if Spoelstra hits him with another wrinkle that Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics didn’t anticipate.

The Celtics will win this series. Maybe in five games, probably in six. This is the most talented and complete team. The Heat will no longer shoot like a roster of Steph Currys, and the Celtics’ supporting cast will play better.

But the Heat reminded us who they are Wednesday night. A team that never goes quietly. It never lacks a plan of attack. He reeks of being a nuisance and an enemy, and never doubts himself or backs down from a challenge.

The Celtics will win this series. It’s going to be excruciating.