In the series between the Celtics and the Heat, the Heat were very underdog from the start.
It's no surprise that the Celtics have been significantly stronger this season, with a 64-18 record in the regular season that dominates the league. And when it came to the playoffs, Jimmy Butler's injury in the play-offs continued to reduce the suspense of the outcome of this round of matchups.
How underdog is the Heat in this series? The odds given by FanDuel, the NBA's official partner bookmaker, before the series: the Celtics are -10,000 to win the series, and the Heat are +2,500 to win the series — that is—100 to 10,000 for the Celtics and 2,500 for 100 for the Heat.
The gap is 2,500 times.
Obviously, the bookmakers are extremely optimistic about the Celtics winning the series, but the odds are still a bit exaggerated.
In the first game of the series, the Celtics defeated the Heat bloodlessly, and after the first three quarters of the game, the Celtics had a 32-point lead over the Heat. The Celtics dominated the game, and the Heat were knocked down with almost no resistance, like a fighter in the ring who was not prepared for anything, and could only wait for the opponent's fist to land.
By this time, the Celtics may have forgotten the experience of losing to the Heat last season, when the Heat bucked the trend and beat the Celtics to advance to the Finals with only a 3% chance of progressing. The Celtics don't easily forget the pain caused by the Heat, but when they are too proud in good times, they are easy to let go of themselves, which is human nature.
The Celtics are no exception.
Come to think of it, what else can the Heat do to beat the Celtics? Jimmy Butler misses the game due to injury, Terry Rozier is also unavailable, can Spoelstra be a soldier? The Heat have indeed had a lot of miraculous performances, and the second-round picks and draft picks in their lineup can all explode, and Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin have made the Green Army feel cold.
In the second game of the series, the memories of the Celtics were activated, and the Heat made a huge wave in Boston. The Heat played extremely calmly under the Celtics' defense, and a "rain of arrows" that hit 23 three-pointers shot through the Celtics' façade. The Boston wind carries the smell of Miami Beach, and the body fragrance of the bikini girl intoxicates the Celtics.
So how did it all happen?
In fact, it is also simple, the gene that has been reproduced in the bones of the Heat culture - tenacity, since there is no way out, no choice is the best choice. The Heat's entire roster was under no pressure, and confidence fell on every player, with all seven players on the team hitting three-pointers — 23-of-43 shooting for a whopping 53.5 percent.
Unidos Haslem, known as the soul of the team, inspired Tyler Herro before that fight, "....... Your name appears in trade rumors every year, and there's a reason why the team is keeping you. It's your proof night, prove it to Spoelstra, prove it to Pat Riley (how good you are). Remember, you beat these guys when you were 20 years old. ”
Then, Tyler Herro played a game that Spoelstra called "the best offensive performance of his career so far".
That didn't be a turning point in the series.
The Heat frenzied a battle that burned themselves, they put their passion, anger, stubbornness and tenacity into the crucible, and the raging fire made the opponent Celtics dare not approach, and unfortunately burned out and only the ashes of fate remained. Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier are still missing, and the depleted Heat are missing only one goodbye.
G2 unexpectedly defeated the Celtics, and the Heat were then beaten back to their original shape, and the Celtics never let up again. As a result, the miracle that belonged to the Heat was left in the series G2 battle, and the short-lived flash in the pan was worth it, because the Heat should be like this - even if they fall, they should bite their opponents with all their might.
The Heat made 23 three-pointers in a single game and ran out of inspiration in the next three games, making a total of 21 three-pointers in three games, 9-of-28, 9-of-33 and 3-of-29. Yes, the Heat have shed the last drop of blood, and the huge gap in strength is there, and the Heat team can't move again.
Four times in five years, it's time to say goodbye.
The Celtics will keep going.
As a traditional giant, the Celtics have been one of the championship contenders in recent years, and sometimes even the favorites. Brad Stevens moved from coach to behind-the-scenes, and he's done an even better job building the team, and the Celtics continue to build up their roster.
However, the Celtics didn't get the rewards they deserved.
The Celtics have made a bigger move this season, with the hard-hitting Marcus Smart being traded away in exchange for interior player Porzingis to fill the team's weakest link. Soon after, Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, and draft picks were traded for Jrue Holiday as the team's new framework was officially built.
With Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as the team, the Celtics continue to add to the lineup, and the team lineup this season has indeed shown dominance. However, even the best performance in the regular season was not convincing, and if the Celtics could not win the championship, all the previous efforts would seem meaningless.
It was extremely easy to pass the Heat, and it was just a small test for the Celtics, after all, the Heat's remnants did not give the Celtics much of a test. What was the biggest takeaway for the Celtics? The defeat to the opponent in G2 of the series was a wake-up call for the team not to be careless at any time, otherwise anything could happen.
The good news is that the east seems to have little to do with it.
The opponent of the Celtics in the next round has not yet been determined, and the Magic and Cavaliers have just finished the battle against the Kings Mountain, but both teams look difficult to beat the Celtics. And if they reach the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics will be pleasantly surprised to find that the opponent may not be the Bucks or the 76ers, but the Pacers or the Knicks.
In terms of experience or strength, the Celtics have a better chance of breaking out of the East.
The Celtics are a big favourite, and they've shown their dominance in the regular season, but the playoffs are more of a test of the team's mentality. Head coach Joe Mazzulla also talked about the mentality when the team advanced to the second round, and it is clear that this is very important for the championship-hungry Celtics, whose biggest problem in recent years has been.
(Text/Yan Wuqiang)