The Boston Celtics took back control of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night, winning Game 2 by a final score of 127-102. Boston jumped out to a 25 point lead at the end of the first half and never looked back.
After a disheartening performance in Game 1 — a contest they outplayed their opponents in for three of the four quarters — the Celtics bounced back like a championship team should. Now, the series moves back to Boston, where the C’s will look to capitalize on the home-court advantage.
This game saw the return of both Marcus Smart and Al Horford. Smart is playing through a mid-foot sprain, while Horford tested out of Health and Safety Protocols just 48 hours after he was placed in them.
At the same time, Derrick White traveled back to Boston early, as his wife was set to give birth to their firstborn.
Despite the everchanging rotation, Boston looked like a cohesive unit once again on both ends of the floor, carving up Miami’s stout defense possession after possession.
Let’s look at 3 takeaways from this victory:
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 1) The impact of Marcus Smart
The offense looks entirely different when Marcus Smart is inserted into the starting lineup. In the third quarter of Game 1, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White assumed most of the ball-handling duties, but to no avail.
They were both seemingly exhausted, with Tatum committing turnovers left and right.
With Smart, his presence as a floor general does wonders for the offense, taking more pressure off of the Jays. They no longer have to create their own offense with the ball in their hands every possession down, and can rely on Smart to make the right decision.
In 40 minutes, Smart finished with 24 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds on 8-of-22 shooting from the field and 5-of-12 shooting from deep. He did not have the most efficient game shooting the ball, but constantly found cutting Celtics under the basket to get easy buckets.
Marcus Smart is the best passer on the team, as he’s both able and willing to take passing angles that nobody else can. He’s also a quicker decision-maker in terms of shooting the ball than Derrick White, maintaining the quick flow of the offense rather than freezing at the 3-point line.
On the defensive end, his presence was also very clearly felt. The ideal matchup for Jimmy Butler, he had multiple productive possessions guarding him, as his combination of core strength and quickness is enough to stay in front of the All-Star.
He was named the Defensive Player of the Year for a reason, and is one of Boston’s best matchups on Butler.