On May 20, Beijing time, the Celtics lost 105-111 at home to the Heat, trailing 0-2 on aggregate. Butler had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, Adebayo 22 points, 17 rebounds and 9 assists, Tatum 34 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, and Brown 16 points. Where did the Celtics lose this game? In this issue of "Data Don't Lie", let's discuss this topic.
Defeat 1: It is too costly to provoke Butler
In the last game, Butler bombed 35 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals and 7 assists, although Butler's overall statistics were not as good as G1, but the result was the same, he finished the Green Army again, only this time, more dramatic.
Butler scored 18 points in the first three quarters, which is not particularly prominent, but it also has highlights. He hit a flowing whistle shot that once again connected him with Jordan. The most dramatic scene came in the final quarter of the game, when Gwey hit a 3-pointer and provoked Butler with trash talk. The Green Army was nine points ahead at the time, and he probably didn't realize how bad it was for the Green Army next.
Butler smiled at Gwee's provocation, and he quickly returned the color, hit 2+1, and sprayed Gwe's head head. And this was just the beginning, Butler began to attack Gwee like crazy, and after one throw, it was two consecutive hits. Butler scored nine points in a single quarter, and those were probably all thanks to Bygway.
Will this scene remind you of Butler in 2020 three years ago, when he and Warren of the Pacers also faced each other like this, and finally the Heat reached the 2020 Finals. Will history repeat itself this year?
Looking at the invincible performance of Butler's consecutive hits after angering Butler, he shook his head repeatedly, and the opponent still underestimated him.
Defeat 2: After the hot three madness, there are the hot four madness
In the East G1 final, the heat three crazy was impressive, they won the Green Army 46-25 by 21 points in a single quarter, which became the key to G1's victory. East Final G2, hot three madness became hot four madness. In the third quarter, the Green Army played a climax and entered the fourth quarter with an eight-point advantage, but it was the Heat's turn to explode in the fourth quarter. Butler's 9 points in a single quarter, Adebayo 8 points in a single quarter, and the duo's 17 points in the final quarter, which is quite critical. The Heat hit a 36-22 final run.
Defeat 3: Double probe flower end and crotch pull
The Green Army's double scout, at the critical moment of the final section, pulled his crotch again. Tatum don't look at the 34 points in the game, in fact, like the fourth quarter of G1, it did not play its role, in the fourth quarter of G1, Tatum only scored 6 points on free throws, no sports goals; In the fourth quarter of G2, Tatum shot 0-of-3 from the field in the final quarter and also scored five points on free throws. Brown didn't feel good all the time, and only 1-of-5 in the fourth quarter.
Defeat 4: The Heat aren't just Butler
Butler was a key factor in the Heat's win, but by no means the only factor. Adebayo, Martin and Dunro all played key roles and scored a number of points when Butler was cared for by the Green Army. Adebayo had a triple-double, 22 points, 17 rebounds and 9 assists, and Martin became a Heat raider, scoring 25 points alone. Dunro scored 15 points on 3-of-6 three-point shooting. The Heat played team basketball, while the Green Army sometimes relied too much on star singles and eventually collapsed.
Big data website FiveThirtyEight shows that the Heat have a 70% chance of making the cut. Historical data shows that the team that led 2-0 in the playoffs ended up 414-33, and the team that led 2-0 in the divisional finals ended up 56-6.