Boston Celtics reason #2: Perimeter defense
Of the Boston Celtics’ top seven players, none of them are a below-average or even average defender. The weakest link may be Jaylen Brown due to his off-ball troubles, but even that can be solved through scram switching and adequate help.
Boston’s defensive prowess showed in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Miami struggling to find good looks in half-court sets. Jimmy Butler went nuclear in three out of the seven games of this series, but beyond that, no other player found consistent success.
Most of their struggles came from beyond the 3-point line, where the Heat shot only 30% for the series. For comparison, Boston shot 34.9% from the perimeter. Miami was the best shooting team in the regular season, yet just couldn’t hit enough shots to sustain a productive offense.
Starting a lineup of Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Butler, P.J. Tucker, and Bam Adebayo, the Heat’s spacing was already limited. Adebayo is a complete non-shooter who Boston did not need to help on when he was in the post, and Tucker is limited to strictly corner threes. Butler shot 29.2% from three despite getting hot in Game 6, while Strus shot the same percentage on 48 attempts.
This trend was more than Miami just missing shots, however. The Heat love to run shooters through multiple screens to get any sort of separation. Marcus Smart and Derrick White are two of the best screen navigators in the entire league, fighting over every pick to deny shot attempts. Both Strus and Duncan Robinson generate almost all of their offense off of screens, something Boston essentially shut down with their defensive personnel.
Additionally, getting Robert Williams out on the perimeter wasn’t a mismatch, as he blocked multiple three-point attempts with his insane explosiveness. After P.J. Tucker (40% on 20 attempts), no Heat starter shot above 30% from distance for the series.
That’s the main reason why Boston won.