After beating Orlando off their homecourt 92-79, the Boston Celtics are entering the second game of their back-to-back stretch.
This upcoming game, unlike the last, will be against a high-caliber team.
Some would argue the Miami Heat are one of the highest-caliber teams in the league and will continue to be so as the season progresses. It’s early in the year, yes, but the Heat have shown great strength and have the pieces in place to sustain their excellence throughout 82 games.
With the Cs treading above water — for now, at least — they must take the momentum they gained from their win against the Magic and apply it to beat the odds against one of the more potent teams in their conference.
A win like this goes a long way in terms of morale but will also be critical in deciding final seeding come playoff time. The Eastern Conference is at its peak in terms of competition in recent memory, the shamrocks need to start pulling out wins against good teams.
Tonight is a great place to start.
Against the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics will have to be cognisant of multiple things on both ends of the floor and they’ll need three essential factors to swing their way if they wish to win.
It’s no secret that Jayson Tatum has struggled to start this season.
His 3-ball has not looked the same, and his overall confidence in his ability to bend and break a defense has looked different than what we saw in the playoffs and Olympics a few months ago.
Tonight is not going to be a night where the All-Star can be short on confidence.
However, I have hope for Tatum, given the circumstances surrounding the game. Not only will he be lining up against his best friend, Bam Adebayo, but he’s also going to be in the spotlight after news of the Boston Celtics “players-only meeting” broke at halftime yesterday.
It’s time for Tatum to step up and get back into form, and there’s no better time for that than a pivotal game against an old playoff rival.
I’m not particularly sure what the word around Robert Williams has been to start the season, but I have not been impressed with his play through the first few weeks of the year.
His positional awareness has been underwhelming, which has led to many open layups and offensive rebounds for the other team. Part of me thinks Ime Udoka shares some blame for Williams’ shortcomings, but I think there are some things Rob Will can fix himself.
Tonight is not going to be a good night to be out of position for Robert Williams.
Bam Adebayo is one of the best roll men and offensive rebounders in the league, and Jimmy Butler is one of the best cutters and finishers.
If Williams isn’t where he’s supposed to be, those two guys can put the Boston Celtics in a hole faster than they can combat.
Being an elite shot-blocker, Williams can quickly neutralize both and deal a lethal blow to the Heat’s offense. Still, he can only do so if he puts himself in the correct positions on a possession-to-possession basis. With the Cs continually making adjustments between each game, I think tonight is an excellent opportunity for Williams to figure it out.
Last but not least, the most crucial factor to beating the Heat is Ime Udoka.
I’m still holding out faith for the Boston Celtics’ new head coach, but I’m not going to pull punches either. He’s misusing almost everyone on the roster on both ends, and it’s led to a putrid half-court offense and defense.
Tatum’s cold shooting hasn’t helped, but I believe Udoka should share most of the blame for the C’s poor start.
However, he has shown signs of life and a willingness to adjust, and he’s new to the job, so road bumps are expected.
It’s still early in the season, and whether or not the Celtics win tonight’s game won’t be a deciding factor for the rest of their season, but Udoka should feel some pressure to start figuring stuff out against a potential playoff opponent.
I’d like to see an abundance of things from Udoka tonight.
Marcus Smart and Robert Williams and Dennis Schroder and Al Horford pick and rolls, high screens for Tatum and Brown, more Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith, less J-Rich, and more creative play calling.
I believe pick and rolls, as simple as they may be, have been what the Cs have been missing, and implementing them should help kickstart a better half-court offense.
The other stuff like high screens, rotational preferences, and play calling revolves around the Boston Celtics shooting.
I haven’t liked the shots Tatum has been taking in particular, and I don’t like how many 1.5 shooter lineups Udoka has been putting out.
Let Tatum get to the sidestep three and stop playing lineups with a Jay and one other shooter. If Udoka makes these adjustments, I believe the Cs can turn the corner.