Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory in game 2 against Miami
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics key to victory No. 1) Win the 3-point battle
It seems like every time we publish a “3 keys” piece, the first key to victory is how the Boston Celtics need to win the 3-point battle.
THAT’S how vital it is in determining who wins and who loses during this 2020 postseason run. Like all of their losses prior, game-one saw the Miami Heat take control of this aspect of the game.
The second-best 3-point shooting team continued on with their successful ways from downtown, as they converted on 16 of their 36 attempts (44 percent). In comparison, though they started out hot from downtown — specifically Marcus Smart — Boston wound up losing the battle, converting on 15 of their 42 attempts (36 percent).
In all honesty, things could have easily ended up the other way around if they had treated all of Miami’s players as potential threats from long range.
Far too often did we see the likes of Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler take, and make wide-open jumpers from beyond the arc. Because of this, they ended up posting two of the best 3-point shooting percentages on the game, with Crowder hitting five of his nine attempts (56 percent) and Butler knocking down two of his three attempts (67 percent).
In game two, it is imperative that the Celtics keep this level of consistency shooting from downtown while also honing in on doing a better job of closing out on open shooters.