In his first playoff game as a Celtic, Kristaps Porzingis produced 18 points on 7/13 shooting, made 4/8 threes, grabbed four rebounds and had two blocks.
He was also tasked with guarding Bam Adebayo at the other end of the court. With Jimmy Butler sidelined by an MCL injury, the Heat are forced to rely even more on their star center.
“They’re going to play Bam as their number one option,” Porzingis noted after Boston’s 114-94 victory in the series opener on Sunday. “So, we have to do a good job as a team; just try to make it difficult for him. He’s going to do his thing and shoot those intermediates, and we know what type of player he is. So, yeah, he’s going to be involved So in many situations we just need to make sure we’re doing the best job possible.
Adebayo finished with 24 points, leading all scorers, on 10/18 shooting. But most of his field goals required him to make well-contested shots inside the arc. It started on Miami’s first possession.
The Heat cleared out to give the former Kentucky Wildcat enough space to go one-on-one without worrying about help coming from the left quadrant (from his perspective).
Even though he likes to go from a between-the-legs dribble to a mid-range jump shot, he probably should have worked on getting something better. The hosts will happily accept it, and Porzingis does well to contest his attempt without committing a foul.
In the next example of how the seven-foot-three center made life difficult for the three-time All-Star on Sunday, Porzingis is on the cover. Jrue Holiday plays the passing route; Caleb Martin forces the ball through, but note where Adebayo gets it. It’s about 12 feet from the edge, with no way to get any closer to the outlet. He makes a difficult shot that Boston will live with as long as he doesn’t foul.
Ignoring what follows is also the play in which Martin undermines Jayson Tatum, Holiday helps out effectively as Adebayo moves to the middle. This forces him to resume his dribbling. His contested mid-range jumper resonates off the front edge. Once again, Porzingis contests his shot without sending his counterpart to the free throw line.
The Heat’s highly skilled center can consistently fend off a miss and make the shot below. But if time and the score allow the Celtics to live with that, they will. However, there can be no regular diet about it.
And when Adebayo tried to attack downhill against the Latvian in transition, it was a different story.
When it wasn’t Porzingis guarding the former lottery pick, it was Al Horford. But the rules don’t change. For example, Boston slowed down its three-point attempts again, worked to take two points as far away as possible, and did its best to contest without fouling.
As for what Miami will likely exploit more in Game 2 on Wednesday, here’s an illustration of the pace with which the visitors must play in the half-court in Butler’s absence.
They work the ball side to side and keep it moving quickly. Porzingis is in drop coverage. Holiday does a great job behind Tyler Herro. Maybe the latter could capitalize and draw a foul, but the pocket pass is the correct read. Adebayo tries his shot before the contest and converts on one of the sharpest looks he’s gotten from inside the arc.
The Celtics did a good job of limiting the impact of the Heat’s best available player as a scorer, and he only made four free throws. Both teams know that his score on two contested points cannot be the best offensive source for the reigning Eastern Conference champions.
Adebayo also only had three assists. But he had 11 assist points on screen. It’s the perfect way for him to maximize his teammates and give Miami the best chance of an upset.
Below, Duncan Robinson goes for a three with Sam Hauser behind him. He hands it back to the Heat’s star center and rushes to the basket. Derrick White spins to tag Robinson. Delon Wright goes from selecting Kevin Love to getting a pitch from Adebayo with no one to help Horford. Trying to defend so many options at this pace presents quite a challenge.
The Heat went 12/37 (32.4%) from three. Adebayo’s screens helped Jaime Jaquez Jr. generate several baskets at the rim. But it’s the senior who frees his teammates to find their rhythm beyond the arc that is vital for Miami.
If Boston keeps these kinds of instances to a minimum, it’s hard to imagine the Celtics losing with Butler on the sidelines.
Further reading
Celtics Bench Stars on his role in Game 1 win over Heat: ‘An identity of our team’
Jayson Tatum discusses his first career playoff triple-double: ‘a great game’
Celtics protect the floor in dominant display in Game 1 against Heat
Kristaps Porzingis makes it clear what the Celtics’ mindset is heading into the playoffs
How are the Heat coping without Jimmy Butler? Joe Mazzulla intervenes
‘I knew it’: Jaylen Brown discusses Celtics’ first-round heat
Brad Stevens addresses potential extension with Derrick White
The Celtics take on the challenge of going beyond the most talented
Jayson Tatum talks sacrifice in Celtics’ title chase: ‘It’s a process’
