I still think we get this series 4:2.
Miami already used their lucky punches.
Hay is back, we are a better team overall.
Need to be ready for Spoelstra's adjustments in Game 4
That will be the real acid test
I expect Heat to come out all guns blazing at the start of G4 and attempt to build a big lead. They seemed mad that they had always given up big leads early in games1thru3
I expect them to address this issue after studying film
Celtics have to be ready for Heat getting Bam and Dragic more involved in an attacking sense right from the tip off
Maybe I'm mistaking but I feel like the reason why Heat trailed big in every game is that they are simply an inferior team.
Don't want Celtics to be complacent that's why the big leads disappeared
Hence be ready for Spoelstra's expected adjustments
Would also like to see the athleticism of Timelord used to defend Bam when Theis gets into early foul trouble
It remains to be seen. I do wonder if he has the room for adjustments within his personnel.
Regarding RW, I don't think this is a series for him.
The game demands many quick reads and Rob isn't the one who can make them correctly.
That is the main reason why he hasn't played much in the 1st place.
Disagree. The few minutes he matched up vs Bam, he played well. He matches up vs Bam better than any of our centers, it is not even close. And I continue to harp on this because Bam is the guy who leads the guy who kills us the most. Plus Bam is not a pick and pop center, which is where Rob struggles.
Yes, but the Celtics switch everything and Robert Williams cannot cover the perimeter. Neither can Kanter, but Kanter puts pressure on the Heat to secure rebounds and he is a threat to score inside. It seemed to me that Grant Williams was effective as was the small ball lineup, because it can draw Adebayo out of the middle and gives the Celtics a chance to drive. I like the idea of attacking Duncan Robinson and getting him into foul trouble to disrupt his rhythm. I am hoping they can be effective doing that with Dragic or Herro as well, but they seem more savvy at the defensive end.
Let's not let our guard down in game 4. The Heat are ready to pounce on mistakes and although we have looked like the better team talent wise, we have not looked as locked in as the Heat for the majority of the series, IMO. Even in the last game, we almost blew a big lead again. The flagrant foul on Jaylen Brown, some missed passes, etc. These mistakes have been extremely costly in this series and focus and attention to detail are so important, along with staying ultra aggressive in getting to the hoop.
In 9 minutes game 3 Grant Williams was a minus -11, so I don't get your love for him in this moment.
Theis can't cover perimeter any better than Rob Williams. go back and look at the Raptors' series, most of Ibaka's open 3 pointers were with Theis defending, not Williams. How many times have we seen the ball just bounce beyond the reach of Theis that Rob would have grabbed to start the next fast break? Plenty. In game 1, only 11 minutes Rob has played, he grabbed 4 rebounds, blocked a shot and scored a bucket (1 for 1 of course). In every game in which we have dominated while in the ore-playoff bubble, Rob has been a major factor.
I was not aware that Grant Williams was a negative last game. Thank you for pointing it out. My main point was that I think playing our style and going small, regardless of the Miami lineup, seems to yield decent results, particularly with Hayward back. If we play our 5 best players together to end the game, the biggest problem we have is rebounding, but Tatum and Hayward will have to play slightly above their size to make it happen.
If we can build a reasonable lead again in Game 4, I trust the small lineup to close out the game because I think we can take the 3 point shot away best with this lineup. If Bam is the only threat inside, we can live with that as long as we don't foul. I trust our squad to play evenly with the Heat at that point in time.
My point about Grant Williams was just from the eye test. He seemed comfortable out there and looked like he could play in this particular matchup, but if you are telling me the numbers say otherwise, I will go back and re-evaluate.