The Heat vs. the Greens
Almost everyone in the league believes that the Miami Heat, who continue to return to the playoff stage as the eighth seed in the East, cannot repeat last season's dark horse counterattack. The reason is simple. First of all, their star Butler, who suffered an injury in the previous play-off competition, had to take a period of recuperation and was almost certain to not return in the first-round series. At the same time, the team's new signing, Rozier, has not been able to usher in a comeback after retiring from injury in the regular season, and the team's overall combat power has been greatly reduced.
Second, their opponent in the first-round series is the Green Shirts, who represent the best record in the league, but they are not the ones they used to bully at will. In the opening game of the playoffs, the Green Army was able to complete the absolute advantage of 20 points with a total score of 104-94, thus taking the initiative to lead 1-0 in the series. Judging from the internal problems of the Heat and the situation of the opponent, they really have no possibility of continuing the Black Eight counterattack. But in this G2 battle, they were eye-catching, and with the help of the team's starting five tigers, they successfully won a city with a total score of 111-101.
The specific results
At the beginning of the game, the players of both sides quickly entered the battle and showed a very high competitive state. Tatum is like a phoenix in flames, constantly attacking the basket, scoring 14 points in a single quarter, both inside and outside, showing his all-round ability. The Heat, on the other hand, are like stars, blooming more, and the three-point shots that they are not good at also hit frequently, throwing in 8 three-pointers in the first quarter and leading by 1 point by a narrow margin. Entering the second quarter, the Celtics finally found their outside touch, and an 11-4 offensive wave allowed them to overtake the score. However, the Heat's Martin and Herro were not to be outdone, and they had a hot hand on the outside and launched a wonderful offensive battle with the Celtics. Jaylen Brown stepped up and scored 15 points in the first quarter to lead the Green Army to a three-point lead at halftime.
In the second half, the two sides continued to engage in a fierce tug-of-war, with Jaylen Brown still in excellent form, but Martin and Herro were equally able to respond. The Heat set off a wave of small climaxes, and at one point the score exceeded double digits. The duo teamed up to narrow the gap to 6 points, but the Heat were always able to hold their ground and maintain a lead of about 10 points. In the final quarter, Wright, Highsmith and Harkes hit three-pointers one after another, breaking the team's all-time playoff record. In the face of the Green Army's momentum of chasing points, the Heat team can always respond in a timely manner and firmly grasp the initiative of the game. In the end, the Heat defeated the Celtics 111-101 to tie the score at 1-1.
epilogue
The performance of the Green Army at home is really puzzling. In previous games, the starting five of their team have all performed with good statistics, which can always help the team relieve the pressure on the offensive end. But in this G2 battle, they lost the offensive efficiency they were proud of. Porzingis shot 1-of-9 in a single game, with only 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, White also lost his previous magic, delivering 13 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists, and Holiday also shot 4-of-12, with only 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
Therefore, even if Tatum played 41 minutes and delivered 28 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, Brown also had 33 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist. It is worth mentioning that before the final whistle, the Green Army fans at the scene chose to leave the court early, and Tatum, as the team's big leader, also did not greet the fans after the game, let alone shake hands and hug the opponent, and left the court directly, obviously very dissatisfied with the team's home defeat.
On the other hand, on the side of the Green Army, which won away from home, all 5 players in their team scored double-doubles, and the efficiency was very good. Herro made 6-of-11 three-pointers and delivered 24 points, 5 rebounds and 14 assists, Bam Adebayo also had a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Martin delivered 21 points and 2 rebounds. In addition, Harkes also had 14 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and Jovic who handed over 11 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, all of which effectively relieved the pressure on the team in all aspects. After winning this game, the Heat managed to pull one back, and the series score came to a 1-1 draw.