This time, his positioning seemed more preferable. But when Holiday slipped another pass to the big man, Martin reached out and pushed him away as Porzingis fell to the ground. There would be no shaking.
The Celtics acquired Porzingis last summer in large part because the Heat exposed their big men’s vulnerabilities in last season’s conference finals, which Miami won in seven games. His diverse offensive game is well-suited to creating challenges for teams that deploy heavy zone defenses and man-to-man schemes.
Porzingis had a great regular season and was the main reason the Celtics increased their win total by seven games, but his second playoff game against the Heat turned into a night to remember. He made just one of nine shots and committed two turnovers, and the Celtics were outscored by 32 points in his 30 minutes on the floor in their 111-101 loss, which tied the series at 1-all.
After Thursday’s practice, Porzingis acknowledged that the Heat had success against him by making everything a little “extra.”
“Sliding the ball, handling and sweeping those possessions worked for them,” he said. “It’s small margins, like we’re getting better position, a little cleaner look at the pass, a little better positioning. It makes a big difference.
“They did a hell of a job, to be honest, and I didn’t have a good offensive game at all.”
All season, Porzingis’ presence served as a safety valve for the Celtics. If 3-point shots weren’t falling or stars Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown were scrambling, they could just throw the ball to Porzingis in the post, where so many options were created instantly.
Sometimes he would just turn around and shoot at smaller defenders. Sometimes he would draw a double team and find an open man. Sometimes he would drive to the arc and stretch a defense with his long-range shooting.
And he’s still expected to do all of those things pretty well throughout what appears to be a long playoff run. But for one night at least, Miami revealed some vulnerability by creating confusion.
“They do this on one possession and do something else on another possession and then they switch and then they don’t,” Porzingis said. “It can freeze you up a little bit, because you start to think a little bit, and then you rush a little bit to the next action.
“That’s the game they play, the game within the game, and they’re good at it. So you have to give them credit, but we’ll see in the future.
Repeatedly, the Heat’s smaller defenders fought for position and harassed Porzingis by slipping entry passes. He also missed a few relatively simple shots that he usually converts. The Celtics believe only minor adjustments will be needed to unlock Porzingis, but they understand it will be significant.
“I just think it’s just recognizing the coverages and matchups that he has and being able to find those solutions quicker,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “They do a good job of changing some of that, but they also do a good job of just being physical. And so you have to work on that physicality.
“Again, it comes down to simple things and a higher constraint. We just have to be better at it.
Porzingis said that when he has tough matches, he tends to move on rather than dwelling on them. He said the Celtics found some adjustments that should lead to better results in Game 3, but he was in no rush to reveal them. Above all, he’s looking forward to another chance to remind everyone how valuable he will be during this championship campaign.
“I looked at my possessions,” he said. “I’m going to make sure I’m better offensively, 100 percent.”
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Celtics center Luke Kornet, who missed the first two games of this series with a calf injury, did light work on the field Thursday, and his status for Game 3 remains uncertain.
Adam Himmelsbach can be contacted at [email protected]. follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
