The East and West finals both scored 3-0, and the two sets of matchups had the impression of "unbeatable", but the presentation of the game was completely different.
The Lakers can't beat the Nuggets, but the Lakers' overall thinking adjustment, tactical details changes have done a good job, the 2nd and 3rd games Jokic's personal performance is far less than the 1st, the Lakers can't play is the overall strength gap.
It's different if the Celtics can't beat the Heat, under the premise of talent and lineup configuration occupying a huge advantage, the Celtics have suffered an all-round rout of mental temperament and tactical details. Especially the tactical details, which reflect the difference in coaching ability of the coaches on both sides.
Let's put it bluntly: in front of Spoelstra, Masura, who is a rookie coach himself, looks even better, and in terms of coaching ability, Spoelstra crushed Masurra.
To say that Spoelstra is the strongest manager in this year's playoffs, there won't be much opposition, right?
The outbreak of the two substitute divine soldiers was not accidental
In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Duncan Robinson came off the bench to shoot 7 of 11, including 5 of 7 from three-point range and 3 free throws to score 22 points and 4 assists. Caleb Martin came off the bench to shoot 7-of-11 from the field, including 18 points and four assists on 4-of-7 three-point shooting.
In this series, Robinson and Martin have always been strong. Robinson has scored a total of 37 points in his last two games, and Martin has scored 15, 25 and 18 points in three games, shooting a total of 10 three-pointers.
Do you think Robinson and Martin's outburst was just accidental? This is not the case, it is the result of a year of careful preparation by Spoelstra and his disciples. They certainly aren't sure they'll face the Celtics again in the 2023 playoffs, but they've been ready to meet the Celtics again throughout the year.
Turning the clock back to the same period last year, in the Eastern Conference Finals, Robinson was targeted for defensive problems and could not enter the rotation, playing only 75 minutes in seven games, shooting 7 of 24 from three-point range for a 29.2% percentage. Martin was completely targeted by Uduka, Uduka took Lowe against Martin, Martin was a little overwhelmed and unable to respond, and Lowe could easily go to assist the basket.
After the Heat's 2022 Eastern Conference Finals defeat, Robinson and Martin have been practicing hard. Everyone knows that Robinson and Martin wouldn't have too many scenes if Hiro and Oladipo weren't injured, especially Robinson, who might not even be able to enter the rotation, and his five-year, $90 million contract was already considered garbage. But in this case, the two can still stick to the upgrade plan, which further highlights how high their spirits are and how good their professional attitude is.
Martin is just a 3D player, Robinson is just a pure shooter, and both belong to relatively monolithic types. At Spoelstra's request, they bravely stepped out of their comfort zone. Martin added organizational skills and dribbling shooting skills to his 3D qualities, which he practiced so that he could punish opponents with breakouts, passes, and stop-and-shoot shots when encountering a big center like Lowe.
In the past two years, all teams have found their knack in defending Robinson, and the three-point line is over, and Spoelstra asked Robinson to practice not only off-ball running to catch and shoot, but also to practice ball holding, breakthrough ability, and basket attacking ability.
"Martin spent almost a year preparing for this moment, and Robinson almost two years improving himself." Spoelstra said.
In the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Martin and Robinson have a moment of revenge. When Lowe faced Martin again, Martin could shoot three-pointers with confidence, break through the offensive basket, pass, and he was no longer afraid of Lowe. When Robinson came on the court, he no longer simply stood outside the three-point line, he played an empty cut tactic with his teammates to attack the basket, and used Adebayo's high position. Game 3 was the most surprising, Robinson broke through and split the ball like a core point guard.
Joint defense without solution
For three years, the Heat's joint defense has been a headache for the Celtics, and Spoelstra's tactical setting and the execution of the Heat players are amazing. From Brad Stevens to Uduka to Mazura, three generations of Celtic coaches have little way to defend the Heat.
In fact, the Celtics' ability to break defenses looks to have improved this season after their three-point production and efficiency. The Celtics faced 286 combined defenses during the regular season, scoring 1.14 points per round and shooting 38 percent from three-point range.
But when the Celtics stood in front of the Heat, everything changed. Kevin Love is a defensive weakness in the Heat's starting lineup, and Robinson is a defensive weakness in the bench, which is not false, but the Heat can hide them with joint defense.
In the first three quarters of Game 1 and Game 2, the Heat combined for only 19 joint defenses, but in the fourth quarter of the second game, the Heat used 19 joint defenses in a single quarter, and they limited the Celtics to 0.9 points per round, and the Heat completed the turnaround. In the third game, the Heat still used a lot of joint defense, and the Celtics were still helpless.
"We didn't find a way to break the defense, you need to give them enough credit for their defense, they hid some weaknesses on the defensive end," Jaylen Brown admitted.
In the past four seasons, the Heat have reached the Eastern Conference finals three times. In terms of roster talent, star grade and number of players, Spoelstra is nowhere near as lucky as Doug Rivers, Budenholzer and Monty Williams. However, Spoelstra was able to maximize the team's potential and raise the team's ceiling.
Ironically, Spoelstra has so far won Manager of the Year. However, that doesn't prevent Spoelstra from being the best manager of the playoffs this year.
In NBA history, coaches who have led teams to division finals at least 7 times are Phil Jackson, Riley, Popovich, and Spoelstra. In the future, Spoelstra may be the existence of the new godfather of the Heat.