Celtics analyst sends strong message on team’s playoff chances: ‘Rolling dice every night’

CelticsBlog’s Jeff Clark mustered up everything possible to have a brave face about the Boston Celtics’ chances of not only overcoming a 0-2 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals after dropping the series’ opening games at home but in doing so, Clark revealed an uncomfortable reality about the team’s chances of surviving each and every night: they live and die by the 3-pointer. Whether it’s Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown stepbacks and pull-ups or shots created through pinging the ball around the perimeter with a mix of pump fakes and rim runs to spice things up, Boston will go on winning or losing streaks depending on if those looks drop.

And because of that, fans are “rolling dice every night” with this team.

“Remember that the randomness of this team is somewhat by design,” Clark prefaced before saying, “By leaning into three point shooting, you are subject to the whims of shooting variance. The catch is that there’s also no comfort in one or two victories because this team is just as likely to blow the next one as well. We’re rolling dice every night with this team. Sometimes you just get hot and stay hot for a while.”

Heat role players key to being up 2-0 on Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals

Jimmy Butler’s heroism against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals — and, in reality, throughout the entire Eastern Conference playoffs with a particular shoutout to the first round against the Bucks — could one day warrant its own 30-for-30. Or perhaps it’ll be the focus of a chapter in the story of what went wrong with the “Jays” era in Boston. Either way, it must be stressed that Butler is the primary factor for why the Heat hold a 2-0 lead on the Cs.

Still, it cannot be dismissed how important Miami’s role players have been in knocking off a team that, on paper, has been a near-double-digit favorite every night according to most sportsbooks. Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry combined for 30 in Game 1, and Martin and Duncan Robinson went for 40 in Game 2, with Martin upping the ante and being two points off Butler’s team-high point total (27).

If the Celtics can’t suppress the Heat’s 3-point threats from the perimeter, they may have to face their offseason roster questions head-on sooner than expected.