On May 18, Beijing time, in the Eastern Conference final G1, the Green Army lost 116-123 at home to the Heat, trailing 0-1 on aggregate. Butler had 35 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals, while Tatum contributed 30 points and 7 rebounds. The Celtics led by as many as 13 points, but were eventually overturned by the Heat. Where did the Green Army lose this game? This issue of "Data Doesn't Lie" discusses this topic.
Defeat 1: Hot three crazy online
The Celtics dominated the first half, leading by nine points at halftime, and they led by as many as 13 points. In the third quarter, the Heat scored 46 points in a single quarter, allowing the Green Army to score only 25 points. In this quarter, the Heat won by 21 points, but instead entered the final quarter with a 12-point lead. 46 points, also a new single-quarter scoring record in the Heat playoff team history. "Hot Three Madness" suddenly went online, and the Green Army was a little caught off guard.
The data shows how big the gap in the third quarter performance of the two teams is. The Heat shot 17 of 26 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range with 62.5 percent. The Celtics shot 9 of 20 from the field and 3 of 8 from three-point range with 37.5 percent. It must be said that the Green Army's performance in this section is not abnormal, but the hot feel is too explosive. Butler scored 12 points in a single quarter and Strus scored 13 points in a single quarter, and they both scored on top of the entire Green Army.
The Green Army's collapse in the third quarter also left coach Mazura out of control, smashing the tactical board during the timeout. However, as the manager, he did not call a timeout in time, and it also became the main slot for fans to complain.
Failure 2: Failed to limit Butler
The Heat's number one core was Butler, but the Green Army didn't succeed in limiting him. In the first quarter, Butler was both offensive and defensive. He played the full first quarter, shooting 5-of-9 from the field, 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, and recorded 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. So far in the playoffs, Butler has scored at least 10 points in the first quarter 7 times, the most in the league! Butler also had outstanding form in the third quarter, scoring another 12 points in a single quarter. Butler scored at least 30 points + 5 steals for the second time in his Heat playoff career, which is the sum of any other player in Heat history.
In this playoffs, when Butler scored more than 25 points, the Heat were 7-0. He's the kind of tough guy who can hold up a team alone. At the crucial moment of the final quarter, the Green Army narrowed the point gap, and Butler was able to respond by hitting the giant planet in a row, and finally helped the team complete the reversal.
Defeat 3: The Green Army couldn't stop the Heat's three-pointer
The Heat shot only 34.4 percent from three-point range in the regular season this season, ranking fourth from the bottom in the league, only higher than the Raptors, Hornets and Rockets, but in this playoffs, their three-point shooting was too accurate, and the Heat shot 16 of 31 from three-point range, shooting 51.6 percent from three-point range. The Heat are significantly inferior in the box to the Greens (40-62), but their ability to win games, make more accurate three-pointers, and score more is a big reason. The Green Army made just 10 of 29 three-point range.
Counting this game, the Heat have only five games this season shooting at least 50% from three-point range, and in all five games, the Heat have won.
Defeat 4: The Heat are tougher at key moments
In the final moments of the game, the gap between the two sides was narrowed to about 5 points. At this time, the front broadcast gave the signal that the Heat's game record at such a critical moment this year was 24-15, 3-0 in the playoffs, and the Green Army was 13-12 and 0-3 in the playoffs. Obviously, the Heat are better at playing in key moments than the Greens, and they're tougher!
Tatum made three consecutive errors in the last three minutes, leaving the Green Army completely out of hope of a comeback. Butler hit a key 3-pointer to lead the team to victory. Butler vs Tatum's G1 matchup, the former undoubtedly took the upper hand and took away the victory. Butler is also currently number one in the league in the scoring rankings of key moments.