Heat (0-0) at Celtics (0-0) Round 1 Game #1 4/21/24

[Roy H.]

We can debate the Caleb Martin play, but Bam will always set illegal screens and play dirty. He's the one I'm worried about the most. Frankly, I wish someone would just truck over him or something when he does the screen. If they're gonna call us for ticky tack stuff and ignore Bam's illegal screens, then go make him feel it. Send a message. Maybe just send Tillman out there for a few minutes to deliver a few hard fouls.

The one where he completely flattened DWhite made me mad.  It was an obvious moving screen, and no call ever on Bam whenever he sets those type of picks.

If you watch the replay (and I did several times), Bam's feet don't move.  He did however lean his body into White to deliver a blow. I'm not sure the pick was illegal. Often times the refs let the guy setting the pick get away with moving somewhat, but that didn't happen.

I thought that was a legal screen.  *shrug*  Feet were set, he leans slightly but I thought he was bracing for contact rather than trying to deliver a hit.  And I say this as a person who thinks Bam is sneakily one of the dirtier players in the league, by the way.  He's not going to get much rope from me.  That was just a good hard screen though imo.

The one I took issue with was a few possessions earlier, when Adebayo tried to screen Tatum.  On that play he moved his feet like an offensive lineman and then flopped when Tatum tried to go through him.  Nonsense.

Agreed.  It wasn't dirty. 

It's probably a reason to take the starters out when up 25-30 points in the 4th.

[ozgod]

Only way this team gets close to us is if we play well below our level, or shoot 20% from 3…even then I like our chances as long as we defend well

[libermaniac]

Only way this team gets close to us is if we play well below our level, or shoot 20% from 3…even then I like our chances as long as we defend well

Agreed. If we bring the defensive intensity from start to finish Miami will have a hard time scoring enough to compete.

[BudweiserCeltic]

We can debate the Caleb Martin play, but Bam will always set illegal screens and play dirty. He's the one I'm worried about the most. Frankly, I wish someone would just truck over him or something when he does the screen. If they're gonna call us for ticky tack stuff and ignore Bam's illegal screens, then go make him feel it. Send a message. Maybe just send Tillman out there for a few minutes to deliver a few hard fouls.

The one where he completely flattened DWhite made me mad.  It was an obvious moving screen, and no call ever on Bam whenever he sets those type of picks.

If you watch the replay (and I did several times), Bam's feet don't move.  He did however lean his body into White to deliver a blow. I'm not sure the pick was illegal. Often times the refs let the guy setting the pick get away with moving somewhat, but that didn't happen.

I thought that was a legal screen.  *shrug*  Feet were set, he leans slightly but I thought he was bracing for contact rather than trying to deliver a hit.  And I say this as a person who thinks Bam is sneakily one of the dirtier players in the league, by the way.  He's not going to get much rope from me.  That was just a good hard screen though imo.

The one I took issue with was a few possessions earlier, when Adebayo tried to screen Tatum.  On that play he moved his feet like an offensive lineman and then flopped when Tatum tried to go through him.  Nonsense.

Agreed.  It wasn't dirty. 

It's probably a reason to take the starters out when up 25-30 points in the 4th.

Maybe, other than the Heat put up 35 points on them on the 4th. But by the time that foul occurred, they certainly should've been off the floor by then. I think they had a 15 point lead by then with just a minute left or so.

[Celtics2021]

We can debate the Caleb Martin play, but Bam will always set illegal screens and play dirty. He's the one I'm worried about the most. Frankly, I wish someone would just truck over him or something when he does the screen. If they're gonna call us for ticky tack stuff and ignore Bam's illegal screens, then go make him feel it. Send a message. Maybe just send Tillman out there for a few minutes to deliver a few hard fouls.

The one where he completely flattened DWhite made me mad.  It was an obvious moving screen, and no call ever on Bam whenever he sets those type of picks.

If you watch the replay (and I did several times), Bam's feet don't move.  He did however lean his body into White to deliver a blow. I'm not sure the pick was illegal. Often times the refs let the guy setting the pick get away with moving somewhat, but that didn't happen.

I thought that was a legal screen.  *shrug*  Feet were set, he leans slightly but I thought he was bracing for contact rather than trying to deliver a hit.  And I say this as a person who thinks Bam is sneakily one of the dirtier players in the league, by the way.  He's not going to get much rope from me.  That was just a good hard screen though imo.

The one I took issue with was a few possessions earlier, when Adebayo tried to screen Tatum.  On that play he moved his feet like an offensive lineman and then flopped when Tatum tried to go through him.  Nonsense.

You can’t lean your shoulder out like he did.  It was an illegal screen.  He’s a dirty player and his shoulder was at the level of D-White’s face.  As I said right after it happened, and have said all year, Miami’s cheap play is going to get us hurt and why I didn’t want to play them.  And they never call it.  Its infuriating, and I hope we beat them by 20+ every game so I never have to think about them again.

[ozgod]

Starters should’ve been out of the game with at least 9 minutes to go.  The Heat are dirty and they will actively try to hurt our guys.  Once the game is in hand, bench them.

Yet people were slitting wrists at the lead being whittled down from 34 to 20…imagine if this happened against a bench unit Joe would be asked for his resignation in the morning. Let’s face it fans will only consider the game “in hand” when we’re leading by 50 

[SparzWizard]

Now we wait 3 days for the next game. And then after that another 3 days

The first week is really drawn out, only 3 games in a span of 6 days.

Just need to make sure we win Game 2, don't give Miami any confidence.

[bdm860]

Now we wait 3 days for the next game. And then after that another 3 days

The first week is really drawn out, only 3 games in a span of 6 days.

This leads to something I always find interesting about playoff scheduling.  Every team plays 1 game on each of the first 2 weekends, but some teams get 2 games during the in between M-F stretch, others get 1.

Then due to the staggered weekend time slots, it's possible for a team to finish the 1st round before some teams even have a chance to play a home game.

This year, CLE/ORL will play Game 4 at 1pm EST on Sat.  So if Cleveland sweeps, they'll have moved into the 2nd round before New Orleans (who plays game 3 at 3:30 pm on Sat) or Miami (who plays Game 3 at 6pm on Sat) have even gotten a chance to play a home game yet.

Just a little quirk that amuses me.

[Roy H.]

Starters should’ve been out of the game with at least 9 minutes to go.  The Heat are dirty and they will actively try to hurt our guys.  Once the game is in hand, bench them.

Yet people were slitting wrists at the lead being whittled down from 34 to 20…imagine if this happened against a bench unit Joe would be asked for his resignation in the morning. Let’s face it fans will only consider the game “in hand” when we’re leading by 50 

Well, that fan skepticism has been earned, unfortunately.

But, I'd rather give the bench crew -- which proved itself all season -- to get some run rather than having Tatum play 41 minutes in a chippy blowout.

[Kuberski33]

Only way this team gets close to us is if we play well below our level, or shoot 20% from 3…even then I like our chances as long as we defend well

Try to muck up the C's sets, close off the paint and then hope the C's shoot poorly from 3 - that's their strategy. Taking out a key player or two wouldn't hurt from their standpoint.

Anything less than a 30 pt blowout and a Gino apperance in Game 2 and I'll be disappointed.

[Vermont Green]

Starters should’ve been out of the game with at least 9 minutes to go.  The Heat are dirty and they will actively try to hurt our guys.  Once the game is in hand, bench them.

Yet people were slitting wrists at the lead being whittled down from 34 to 20…imagine if this happened against a bench unit Joe would be asked for his resignation in the morning. Let’s face it fans will only consider the game “in hand” when we’re leading by 50 

Well, that fan skepticism has been earned, unfortunately.

But, I'd rather give the bench crew -- which proved itself all season -- to get some run rather than having Tatum play 41 minutes in a chippy blowout.

I don't think you are going to see the starters come out of a playoff game until the very end of the game unless the other team has taken their starters out.  The Celtics hadn't played since Apr 14 and the starters hadn't played since the NYK game on Apr 11.

Second guessing the coach is par for the course but my opinion is that the second guessing of Mazzulla is excessive.  So if Tatum only played 39 minutes?  That is going to make any difference 3 days later when they play again?  I know, but what if he had gotten injured in those 2 minutes?  I just don't think you can play that way.

To me the issue is the bad habit of starting to coast before the game really is over.  I hate seeing that.  I am not the least bit worried about Tatum staying in the game.  Hopefully Mazzulla is using this as a teaching moment.

[Atzar]

There's an alternate angle out there now that pretty clearly shows Jrue shoving Caleb Martin into Tatum.  It's still "screw Caleb Martin" as far as I'm concerned, but that play now appears unfortunate (and probably should have been a foul on Jrue) as opposed to anything malicious.

Now the argument that the starters shouldn't have been out there in the first place?  I don't disagree.  It was at 31 with eight minutes left.  Your backup PG closed the year on a heater.  Let him finish the job.  Miami played this game clean enough, but I'm not trying to give them more opportunities to change that than absolutely necessary. 

[RMO]

This is a general question about Doris Burke and not specific to this game.

Has she always been as annoying as she is now?  I could have sworn that for awhile I thought she was really good.

Is my mind playing tricks on me or did she become more unbearable as she became a bigger on air personality?

[Celtics2021]

This is a general question about Doris Burke and not specific to this game.

Has she always been as annoying as she is now?  I could have sworn that for awhile I thought she was really good.

Is my mind playing tricks on me or did she become more unbearable as she became a bigger on air personality?

I’m with you.  I remember liking her a few years ago, but now I really don’t.

[Donoghus]

This is a general question about Doris Burke and not specific to this game.

Has she always been as annoying as she is now?  I could have sworn that for awhile I thought she was really good.

Is my mind playing tricks on me or did she become more unbearable as she became a bigger on air personality?

She's gotten noticeably worse.   I don't know if the change got attributed to ego, the ESPN suits pressing for something, or growing more personal connections with certain players (cough...Embiid...cough) thus skewing her opinions but her commentary has certainly seemed to evolve in a detrimental way the past couple of seasons.