Boston Celtics: 3 keys to game one victory over the Miami Heat

Boston Celtics key to victory No. 2) Take away driving lanes for Jimmy Butler

Now, this may seem a bit odd after we just devoted an entire slide to how the Boston Celtics should focus in on winning the 3-point battle but, in game one and, frankly, throughout this series, they should strongly consider letting Jimmy Butler spend ample time at the perimeter.

While the Heat are in fact one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the entire association, their franchise player most certainly has not been the driving force in this highly-touted status. Though never known as a long-range marksman by any means, Butler finds himself in the midst of his worst 3-point shooting season since his rookie campaign, as he’s only managed to convert on 24 percent of his attempts in 2019-20.

Despite his lackluster shooting stroke, however, the All-Star wing still found himself dropping an average of 19.9 points per game during his first year in Miami. A big factor in his solid scoring numbers was his knack for driving the lane and finishing at the rim, where he converted on 65 percent of said attempts.

It might not be the easiest thing to accomplish, as he’s been an absolute menace when getting into the paint throughout this postseason already — shooting 64 percent when attacking the rim in nine games played –, but if the Boston Celtics wish to give themselves the best chance at winning tonight, they’ll need to take away Jimmy Butler’s driving lanes.

Ideally, the C’s defense would want to force him into the mid-range, where he is converting at only a 25 percent clip.