Prepare to unravel the strategic conundrum posed by a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat as they face the top-seeded Boston Celtics in a highly anticipated playoff series. We promise to equip you with a deep understanding of the chess match unfolding on the court, exploring how the Heat's defensive schemes and the Celtics' fluid ball movement could dictate the pace of the series.
Prepare to unravel the strategic conundrum posed by a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat as they face the top-seeded Boston Celtics in a highly anticipated playoff series. We promise to equip you with a deep understanding of the chess match unfolding on the court, exploring how the Heat's defensive schemes and the Celtics' fluid ball movement could dictate the pace of the series.
You're listening to Offering in-depth analysis on all things Boston Celtics with your hosts Jim and Mike Quigley.
Mike Quigley:All right, mike, we're on playoff Eve on here on Hot Foul. We know who the Celtics are playing. They're playing the Miami Heat as a one big, and I guess we should have never, ever doubted the Chicago Bulls puking all over themselves as they once again did, and Miami played well, and Chicago does what the Bulls have always done. And now we have the Heat. And we have the Heat at least early on in this series, even though he's been ruled out for the entire series without Jimmy Butler. And it's a question of who else will be available. I guess whether Terry Rosario is going to be fully available. How healthy is Duncan Robinson? But we know there will be Bam Adebayo, we know there will be Tyler Harrow and we know Eric Spoelstra will come up with a game plan.
Mike Quigley:So I want to do this two ways today, mike. I want to look at this as what's realistic and what are our fears. And are our fears realistic about the boogeyman Miami Heat? So I want to kick it off to you what you're most afraid of going into this series, and do you feel like your fears are derived from what's happened in the past and not necessarily realistic, or are there real things that either the Celtics don't do, or the things that Miami may make the Celtics do. That will get you nervous going into this series.
Jim Quigley:My fear is the Celtics don't respect their opponent and that they play down to their opponent and it comes back to bite them a little bit, where a series that should go four or five games ends up going six games, similar to Atlanta last year. So that's my fear, because the Celtics really should take care of business against this Miami team. Jimmy Butler is not playing. Miami doesn't have enough players who can score on their own. Really, outside of Tyler Hero, they don't have playmakers.
Jim Quigley:Bam is a good player but he's not somebody who really strikes fair into you. Defensively, you can shut him down. So yeah, I mean I worry about the Celtics, like I said, not coming out ready to play, Playing down to their opponent, because they think they can just get away with not being completely focused. And I also worry, I guess a little bit, about the physicality of the series and the fact that we know already that Miami is going to be allowed to play physical. Bam Adebayo is going to get away with illegal screens every possession and you know the Celtics' ability to get out on three-point shooters with those illegal screens and the action that's going to run through Bam will probably be the biggest challenge for the Celtics. Defensively, Offensively. The Celtics should get whatever they want If they play the right way. Jimmy, there's no way this series goes more than 4 or 5. Quite frankly, I don't even see how the games stay close.
Mike Quigley:Well, I think you know Bam referenced in the post-game interview that it's going to be a dogfight and in the mud and dirty and all that and grind it out, and I think that's what Miami wants. And the problem for the Celtics, over the past couple of seasons they have allowed Miami pretty much to dictate the pace in most of these games in the playoffs and they played a Miami heat style. And what ends up happening is, you know, they kind of they lull you to do things that they perceive are your weaknesses and, you know, limit their own weaknesses. So they have caused a lot of turnovers for the Celtics, because you know and live ball turnovers which have led to easy baskets, which of course helps Miami a ton because it's such a poor especially with a Jimmy Butler now such a poor half court team. They just don't score great in the half court and you know. So what does Miami do? You know?
Mike Quigley:You look at what they did against Philly in that first game where they had control of the game throughout and then lost it at the end in the fourth quarter. In the first playing game they went into this kind of damning-looking zone it was a 1-2-2, really condensed, gave opportunities to role players to shoot and make shots and, unfortunately for them, nick Patun started making shots, but it allowed them, too, to kind of condense around and bead and also, with that guy at the top, give enough attention to maxi. So he never went free against the balls. They went more man-to-man but they just gave up the corner three to the non-shooters. They, they wouldn't guard certain guys and every single time the Bulls fell into it and even though they were open shots, there were shots from guys that typically you really don't want taking threes. And what they've done against the Celtics in the past, they've tried some zone or they've overloaded sides on Jalen Brown, jason Tatum, hoping that they would slow things down, maybe try to do too much and get out of the style that the Celtics want to play, and they've done that successfully and have caused a ton of live ball turnovers.
Mike Quigley:I think Tatum at times has forced things or slowed things down, and that's what they're going to want to happen here again. They're going to want to see the Celtics slow down and, you know, get out of their rhythm, get out of their pace and play the style that Miami wants to play. The Celtics need to play with pace. They you nailed it, mike. They can find mismatches all over the court, but they don't need to do it deliberately. Tatum doesn't have to hold the ball, especially when you have guys like Pritchard and White and Hauser and Holiday all available to you all the time. Horford, they're only going to play eight guys the Celtics and all of them can shoot. So move the ball, find the open man, find Przingis and mismatches. If they go zone, you should be able to murder it because you've got shooters everywhere. This isn't the Sixers or the Bulls where you can gamble off starting guys and hope for the best. The Celtics just have too much skill and too much talent in that regard.
Mike Quigley:And what Miami will try to do offensively is they're going to try to get Bam on the post. Spread you out, do hard cuts off of him, play some one-two action with Tyler Harrow and do some pick and rolls to get them going. You just need to be physical, you know, and guard your yard. Don't double out of value. Be real physical with Harrow, don't get killed on the backdoor. Cuts, don't leave corner shooters and you'll be fine. And you'll be fine Even if Bam goes off for 25-plus points. You will be fine.
Jim Quigley:Well, I expect to see a lot of holiday on Bam in the series. We saw some of it in the regular season. I think Porzingis struggles a little bit with the way Bam can move with the ball. So, depending on who Miami starts, I do think there's an opportunity to put holiday on him and he'll still be okay, because I don't think Bam's a great post-up player, but he is good at the high post and taking people off the dribble.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, jim, I don't think there's a ton to break down. The Celtics have to stay mentally tough and stay to the game plan. They can't get caught up in yelling at the refs when things aren't going their way and calls aren't going their way. They have to spread Miami out and run their offense. They have to play with pace. They have to be smart on shooters coming off of the screens. That Bam sets All the attention to detail stuff and these are double-digit wins for the Celtics almost every night in this series. Unless you know the heat, you know catch fire game where they're hitting all their threes. But Miami just doesn't have the talent to stay with the Celtics.
Mike Quigley:Without Jimmy Butler they're just not a good team and I'll be extremely physical with Tyler Harrow, like on both ends of the court, I, you bump him off his drive. He cannot drive straight line to the hoop. He's just not strong enough. He's not built like other NBA players. He'll shoot a large volume of shots, but he's a very inefficient player in these bigger moments and, as we saw a couple of years ago, there's not a guy on the Celtics offensively that can't attack him with a great deal of success. I mean, if things are really bogged down, just find Tyler Harrow and go after him. You did it successfully two years ago before he got hurt. I mean, christ, they were attacking him with Peyton Pritchett, mike, if you remember two years ago.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, harrow's a tough player to play physical against on defense? I don't think so, because he's so skinny and scrawny that it's hard to get up in him. Because he's small, he can wiggle his way out of things. Celtics have traditionally struggled against him on the defensive end. He seems to get his hoops against Boston. I think it's a good matchup for Derek White, but I think you're going to see some Jalen Brown on Tyler Hero to try to put some size there. You talk about that physical play. I think Jalen Brown's more of a physical defender than Derek White is. So I would probably if we're trying to get Hero off his rhythm and maybe you start the game with Brown on him right away to set the tone, because I have a feeling Derek White will struggle against Hero.
Mike Quigley:See what I think I would do right from the get-go in this series. I know you talked about Holiday and Bam. I wouldn't overthink that too much. If bam goes off, you shouldn't lose. Um, he's not a three-point threat. I know he shoots a couple of them, but if you just play him honest and he beats you with some post-ups and you know the things that he does, you should be okay. It's the other guys that can't get going and you can't get harrow going from three I. I think I'd put Holiday right on Harrow to start this series and kind of in his old formidable role that he used to play with Milwaukee and before that with New Orleans, where he should have been told to go shut someone down.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, but before Harrow broke his hand last year he was going off against Holiday. That's why I think I would, I, I just think caitlin brown's been their best on on ball defender all season. I think he's been their best defensive player. I, I, I think every best player in the playoffs I want to see, I kind of want to see brown in those matchups. I think all these are great defender too. So I'm sure it'll be a mix of things, but if I, I think, I think that I just think that brown has the ability to play a physical style of defense that we don't see anybody on the self explain this year.
Jim Quigley:Now I, I think we see holiday playing a physical style of defense like on the post um and off the ball, but I think on the up in guys, I don't think anybody's touched what Brown's brought this year. And obviously the playoffs will be another level of intensity and we'll see a different and better holiday. So that'll be good. But I just have a lot of faith in what I've seen from Brown this year and what I saw against him and James Harden last year, like the only guy I've really seen Brown struggle against isn't playing Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler. Other than that, I think he's got a history of shutting guys down Going back to Pascal Siakam and the bubble. I have a feeling that when the Celtics win the championship this year, we're going to be talking a lot about the man-to-man defense that Brown played in every series on the best player on most teams.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, I hope you're right and I could see it. I could see it and yeah, I could definitely see it. But I think it gets back to, I think we're right, just in terms of the series. Maybe it's Brown on here or whatever.
Jim Quigley:I honestly I'm not not gonna lose any sleep over tyler hero anyway, especially now where he has to be the the man. But that's the thing.
Mike Quigley:Like there's not much to talk about, because I I feel like a guy in the celtics would probably struggle against, because they always used to is terry rosea, but I don't even know if he's playing yeah, and how good he and healthy he will be coming off the low, but he's, he certainly has the balls for the playoffs and we we saw what he did, if you know, in 2018 during that run, especially in that first round series against milwaukee. Um, he was fantastic, you know, and he had ice water in his veins and he was great. If they could get that version of terry rosier, what would rosier average points per game before he was traded was around 25 this year. It was up there.
Jim Quigley:So yeah, he was. He was up there, but he really struggled once he got to the heat.
Mike Quigley:He really struggled. And again, you know, the one guy we haven't talked about and killed the Celtics last year was Caleb Martin and yeah, caleb Martin.
Jim Quigley:And then the rookie on Miami. How do you pronounce his last name, am?
Mike Quigley:I drawing a blank.
Jim Quigley:From UCLA the wing. That kid's a player. He is, that kid's a player. He showed up in both games so far in this mini playoff run for miami.
Mike Quigley:yeah I mean, I mean hakez right yeah, what's struggling? Um, yeah, hakez, throughout the end of the regular season and he really came on for them. Kevin loves played pretty well over these last couple games.
Jim Quigley:Um, yeah, those guys can be good, they can be effective I'm trying to talk myself into like this could be a good series, jim I I can't like. The only way this is a series is if the celtics just play like assholes. Um, they, they really should just dominate. I mean, they dominated this team in the regular season. I'm pretty sure jimmy butler played in some of those games. Um, it's just not the same miami team like. Um. Josh richardson is a guy I thought was gonna have a big role this year. I don't even think he's played in the two playing games. I don't know if he's hurt too, but um I I just don't. They don't have playmakers.
Mike Quigley:You know, they don't have playmakers at all no, they, especially in the half court, they just they don't have much, they really don't, and that's you don't have playmakers, they don't have really guys that can create for themselves. Um, maybe there is a game in there. Maybe I wouldn't even be surprised if it's one of the boston games where they muck enough enough, muck it up enough, where they get the upset win. But I, I I'm trying to talk and think about how this becomes a series and I'm with you. I don't think this goes beyond five.
Jim Quigley:Um, I'd be absolutely yeah, and you would if it does, yeah, you would think that missoula has been having these guys watch a lot of film of how to attack zone defenses at least I would hope, because it's going to be an entire series of fucking made up zone defenses. Like it's not going to be a lot of man-to-man because they can't man the celtics team up and they can't play the same zone they played against philadelphia because that zone was just like three guys focusing on Joel Embiid and hoping everybody else can't play. Yeah, they'll have to play a different kind of zone, whether it's a matchup zone.
Mike Quigley:That's what the Celtics are going to see. A lot of times I think you'll see more of just over coverage on Tatum and Brown, especially when Tatum's in the game and hoping that they make mistakes rather than seeing zones so whether they're soft doubles or hard doubles, but a lot of just overall you know kind of coverage on them and different looks for them to see, based on how they've done this a little bit in the past. I think if you go zone against Porzingis and Tatum, you know maybe you get lucky and the Celtics make some mistakes, but I think you're asking for a lot of trouble going in the zone against those guys.
Jim Quigley:Another nugget in this series, Jim. Like either White or Holiday, one of them aren't going to get the minutes they used to, because going double big against Miami is probably a really good idea. Because they just don't have any size. You can probably destroy them inside in this series quite a bit. So I have a feeling we're going to see a bit of Al and Porzingis out there together at some point in this series as well.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, I still think, even if you do that, there'll be plenty of minutes for White and Holiday Sure. Yeah, even if it's a little bit less, do that, there'll be plenty of minutes for White and Holliday Sure, yeah, even if it's a little bit less, there's going to be plenty of minutes for those guys. They're not going to play more than eight, and I don't see Tatum and Hauser getting more than 10 to 15 minutes. I mean not Tatum and Hauser, pritchett and Hauser getting more than 10 to 15.
Mike Quigley:Tatum's going to with the Heat is they have had the second best defense in the NBA since the All-Star break. You know, second lowest points, giving up 100 possessions since the All-Star break. They cause a ton of turnovers and force you into a lot of bad mistakes, which has been an Achilles heel for the Celtics. So in that regard it'll be a good test. And if you're not careful with the ball and you are not playing forceful, you're not playing with pace, you can get lulled into mistakes versus these guys. You can get lulled into playing the, you know, in the mud dogfight style of basketball that Bam out of bayou spoke about. So it's going to be interesting.
Mike Quigley:Um, when you have a possession of two, that goes that way for the celtics, where they have a couple live ball turnovers, how are they going to react? Because that's what I'm watching for, because in the past against miami, it's kind of spun out of control right. All of a sudden they're taking quick shots or they're grinding out the shot clock and they're not playing Celtics basketball anymore. You know, just because Miami had a couple of, you know, tough defensive possessions and then you've had the coach kind of watching on the sideline as this has happened. So how do they react? And I think that, regardless of how this series ends, that will be a decent barometer for the rest of the playoffs for us. When things get going, what happens and this is a good team, because things will get tough against Miami, whether you win the series 4-0, 4-1, 4-2, you will have moments where it's going to be tough in this series and they will make it tough for you. So how are you going to react? Yeah, that's what I'm looking for.
Jim Quigley:What's that?
Mike Quigley:So that's what I'm looking for here.
Jim Quigley:Well, we definitely want to see improvement from that from last year. So, Jim, I got five questions for you to wrap up the regular season for the Celtics. My first question is this was a historic season for the Celtics really historic for NBA seasons with their offense and the amount of points they were beating teams by and second-place team in a conference being 14 games back, teams by, and, you know, second place team in the conference being 14 games back. So where does this regular season measure up to other regular seasons in Celtics, history Meaning like, is there a team that these guys kind of remind you of for this playoff run?
Mike Quigley:Yeah, I don't know. I hate to be that way, Mike, but I got to kind of see the complete picture because Celtics teams are measured through the regular season. So if they have a ton of success in this postseason, you can start talking about how they relate to the great regular season teams of 08 or 84 or 86, you know, throughout my lifetime. But if they come up short, there's certainly some examples you could point to in Celtics history. I have a hard time falling back on anything until I see this again.
Jim Quigley:I guess a team I was thinking of more recently. Obviously, the Celtics had more regular season success in terms of wins this year, but the bubble Celtics had four guys who averaged over 20 points a game and they looked like a team primed to win the finals. But of course, kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward weren't healthy and that was a huge reason why they were, were slowed down the playoffs and then, as we saw, they just weren't ready, uh, when they played miami, um, but I think these team, this team kind of reminds me a bit of that team where they're really hard to defend. This team's a little bit deeper, obviously, um, and I think, better equipped to win the nba finals. But that was a like a recent comp of mine, like that.
Jim Quigley:That celtic starting five was a bit of a matchup nightmare as well, um, but of course they just weren't healthy, um. My next question for you, jim, again just measuring this regular season uh, jason tatum, obviously he's a first team all nba player. He's going to be in the mvp so we can keep him out because we kind of already know Jalen Brown. Do you think he makes any all-defensive teams and do you think he makes any of the three levels of all-NBA?
Mike Quigley:teams. I haven't given a lot of thought, particularly around the league, but it has crossed my mind that with the amazing season the Celtics had, that they're going to have a very limited amount of individual awards. You know Missoula won't win Coach of the Year. You could absolutely make an argument that he should. I don't think you have a defensive player of the year from the Celtics. There's no one in MVP consideration the year from the Celtics and no one in MVP consideration.
Mike Quigley:I'm not sure Tatum will be in first team based on the MVP discussion that you're seeing going on out there. So maybe second team. But beyond that, you know Derek White and Brown both have an argument to be all defensive player. They don't have anyone that's in consideration for the sixth man. So just usually when a team is this far out in front, you have guys being considered for MVP defensive player and the Celtics don't have any of that and I don't know if that matters. It certainly won't matter at the end of the day if they win it, but it is interesting that I think they're going to be left off a lot of this.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, I think, as I was going through it, if Brown has a chance in my eyes it's third team this year and I definitely think his second half of the season. He deserves it. He shot the ball extremely well from three. Since the all-star break His defense has been phenomenal. His efficiency has gone up. His turnovers have gone down. I think the only thing he struggles with is free-throw shooting and I brought that up a lot that that could hurt the Celtics here in the playoff run and I would really be surprised if Derek White and Brown don't end up on an all-defensive team. That would be disappointing in my eyes. But okay, jim, who's the MVP, you know? Would you put Jalen Brunson in any consideration?
Mike Quigley:I don't think he's he's in the top five, but I don't. I kind of look at it this way if it's close, my MVP candidates if I put that MVP player on any team in this league, are they around a 50 game winner on any team in the league?
Mike Quigley:and um yokich is a definite yes, and um luke is close to that yeah I don't think he's been that in the past, but I think he's goddamn close this year to that. And I don't know if they won 50. Uh, I don't think they did. I think it was around 48 and um, you know, it's still close and I think you'd probably get that on almost any team not all teams, jokic, you get that on any team. You put him on the Wizards, they win 50 games. You put him on the Spurs, they win 50 games Without Wemba.
Mike Quigley:Yeah, and I think that's kind of across the board. It's kind of the Shaq test for me, right. And so I said a few weeks back that I would consider Luka if they played this way. And they did, they did, but I still think Jokic is the best player in the league on a team that has a chance, the better chance to win a championship. You flip those players. You put Dallas, you put Luka on Dallas and Jokic on Denver. I mean Luka on Denver and Jokic on Dallas, and I think Dallas is better than Denver, Of course, yeah. So for me, denver and Jokic on Dallas, and I think Dallas is better than Denver, of course, yeah. So for me it's Jokic, and you know it's close, but at the end of the day, he's the most important player in the league.
Jim Quigley:Yeah, it's interesting. I think the way we value MVP, though sometimes too, is more statistically than just that. Um, so I definitely think it comes down to Yoko Char Luca. Um, I think SGA is declared number three. Uh, then I think it's Brunson and Tatum as a four and your five. Um, cause I think about the MVPs this year? Uh, anthony Edwards probably should deserve some love too, is it? Victor Waminan is obviously my choice for rookie of the year. I know Chet Holder has had a great season, but it's he's not a rookie.
Mike Quigley:You spend a whole season getting treatment in the NBA watching film with NBA players going through all the nba routines. I don't care if you're hurt, you're not a rookie, you've been in the.
Jim Quigley:I agree with you.
Mike Quigley:I'm just you're not a rookie.
Jim Quigley:I know it's a stupid rule, but even said one, benyam has been way better than him yeah, um, I was just telling you who the clear number two is by the rules of the league. Um, as ben simmons won a rookie of the year over jason tatum. Yeah, um. And my fifth question, jim, so far in this? Uh, as we're watching the playoffs start here. Uh, what are your thoughts of what you've seen so far? Um, do you think philadelphia? What are your thoughts on what you've seen so far? Do you think Philadelphia is a legitimate threat now that you've seen Embiid play, or do you still have questions about their health?
Mike Quigley:No, no, no, no, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'd love to get your thoughts. I thought kudos to New York. They made a ton of big shots, mitchell Robinson making two free throws.
Jim Quigley:Why weren't they following him more often?
Mike Quigley:Well, you have to follow him with the ball under two minutes, but maybe they should have done that post two minutes. But you know Josh Hart making contested threes. He's not a good three-point shooter, so kudos to the Nats he made one, contested three.
Jim Quigley:Most of them were uncontested.
Mike Quigley:I think if you're the Sixers, you live with all that and you say, okay, they shot better than they should. I know Brunson didn't shoot as well as he typically does, but that had a lot to do with us. Maxey can get to the hoop whenever he wants. Embiid is still very dominant, even though you know he's he's not himself, and I I feel pretty good coming out of game one and I I think, um, this is going to be a long series and we got a real shot to win it.
Jim Quigley:That's how I feel if I'm the sixes. I'm looking at this and like when is tobias Harris going to step up and not disappear in the playoffs Like he does every day? Yeah, when do you end up with, say, six or eight points?
Mike Quigley:So all the team you forget. Kelly you bring Kyle Lowry a more um a more present than he is. You forget Tobias Harris is even on the team.
Jim Quigley:Yeah. So all those indeed minutes on the bench is when New York would open up their lead. And Harris is out there doing nothing. He's not attacking, he's not setting anybody up. I don't even know if he's defending people. That guy's so useless. He's the reason that team's going nowhere. He's got no guts. None, he really is. He's the reason that team's going nowhere. He's got no guts, he really is. He's the reason that team's not going to win. He didn't show up against the Celtics last year either in that seven game series.
Mike Quigley:I don't remember any Tobias Harris moments you always forget that he's on the team every once in a while. Good first quarter and then that's it. Well, alright, jim, game one tomorrow.
Jim Quigley:I think this is the one that typically a team would stale. Good first quarter and then that's it. Mm-hmm. Yeah Well, all right, jim Well, game one tomorrow. I think this is the one that typically a team would stale a 1 o'clock game on a Sunday. Celtics haven't played a meaningful game in forever, so I do kind of expect the Celtics to come out sloppy to start this one, but I think talent prevails and it's a double-digit win, so that's what I think happens tomorrow.