Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from C’s Game 2 drubbing of Miami

Boston Celtics takeaway No. 2) A shooting clinic

The Boston Celtics put on one of the best shooting performances in playoff history on Thursday night. The team finished with 70 points in the first half, hitting 12-of-19 3-point attempts in the first 24 minutes.

Six different C’s made a trey in the first quarter, as they combined to hit nine of their first 11 attempts from beyond the arc.

Additionally, the C’s process in generating these looks was consistent with their results. Boston spent many of their plays attacking Dewayne Dedmon in pick-and-roll coverage, forcing help, and finding the open man in the corner.

The Celtics can win their individual matchups on the perimeter against the likes of Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, creating dribble penetration and multiple passes to get the best shot.

Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been successful at simply shooting over shorter defenders such as Vincent and P.J. Tucker. They combined to go 8-of-13 from t3-point land, while the team finished the game 20-of-40.

Now, some of this shooting is obviously not sustainable. However, offense resulting in open corner looks for the likes of Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard, and even Al Horford is better than anything Miami is coming up with on the offensive end.

Boston will win this series handily if they continue to create these open looks, taking advantage of the smaller and slower Heat defenders on the floor.

By playing a five out style, subbing out Robert Williams for Grant, the Celtics force Bam Adebayo to guard someone on the perimeter. He’s clearly capable of doing that, but this process takes the DPOY-candidate away from protecting the rim, allowing for easier finishes in the paint along with more kick-out opportunities as he’s incentivized to help off the weak side.