3 Heat takeaways from frustrating Game 3 loss vs. Celtics

Bam Adebayo led the Heat with another 20-point performance to go with nine rebounds along with Tyler Herro and Nikola Jovic who both had 15 points. For the Celtics, the dynamic duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both had 22 points, plus Kristaps Porzingis bounced back with 18 points.

Here are three takeaways from the Heat’s loss to the Celtics in Game 3 where the hopes of an upset in the series fall closer to closer to the ground:

Another inconsistent outing for Herro

With the injuries to the likes of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, the two players that need to come up huge for Miami is Adebayo and especially Herro. When the two work in tandem, they can prove to be a dangerous duo like they were in Game 2 where they were the head of the body that led the team to the upset victory in Game 2.

However, Herro has been a streaky player, especially in this postseason run where he’s had middling outings like in Game 1 against the Celtics or even in the play-in tourney game against the Philadelphia 76ers. On the flip side, he could be explosive like against the Chicago Bulls in the tournament and in Game 2 where he scored 24 points and recorded 14 assists.

The problem stands that fans don’t know which Herro will come into play and it’s very much so displayed recently as he has been the main shot creator with the aforementioned players injured so he’s being keyed on by opposing teams. Game 3 was another showcase for that as he struggled on his efficiency as he only made five shots out of 16 attempts and was limited on the playmaking side with just two assists.

Boston pressured him, made him uncomfortable and Herro paid the price as the rest of the team followed suit Saturday evening as it led to a disappointing performance. As it has been so far, fans are hoping in Game 4, Herro could adapt and come out guns blazing.

Frustrating first half sets the tone for the rest of the game

The first quarter was as frustrating as it could get for the Heat as they scored 12 points the entire opening period while still trailing by single-digits by the end of it. Miami’s offense was a complete slog filled with a lot of missed opportunities as the Celtics did not play up to their standards as they shot 37.5 percent from the field and made three of 10 attempts from deep.

However, Boston made sure to capitalize off the mistakes of Miami as they committed five turnovers in the first quarter resulting in 10 points on the other side. Still, the Heat didn’t shoot well as they made only five shots out of 21 attempts from the field and only one make out of nine from three-point range. That was a much different outcome in Game 2 where Miami made eighth deep shots in the first quarter and 23 the whole game which was a playoff record.

The second quarter saw a relatively better offensive quarter for the Heat as they scored 27 points, but were severely outplayed by the Celtics who put up a whopping 42 in the period led by Tatum and Derrick White who scored 13 and 12 respectively. Boston played a clean game as they committed zero turnovers compared to Miami who committed another four resulting in nine points.

The halftime adjustments needed for the Heat are vast as they need to play sound on both sides of the floor. While fans shouldn’t expect a dynamite shooting night like Game 2, the very least Miami can do is bring the game in the mud with high level intensity, but it was too little too late.

Heat’s final chance at an upset in Game 4?

As Game 1 and especially Saturday showed, the Celtics are the more talented team and could be explosive if the other team makes a mistake. As said in previous articles, the Heat need to play a near-perfect game to overwhelm Boston which could be argued happen in Game 2 when they shot the lights out.

However, even if Miami’s offense isn’t clicking 100 percent, they could play to the pace they excel at which is putting the opponent “in the mud” which has been said by many on the team before. Game 4 is likely Miami’s final opportunity to make this series competitive as they need to win one game in Miami going into Boston for Game 5.

If Game 2 showed anything from the team, they are still elite in adapting to their opponents, learning from their mistakes, and playing much better than in the game prior where they got smacked. If not, the Heat’s playoff chances could be over soon.