MIAMI — The Celtics have not had an answer for the Heat when it counts for years now. Jimmy Butler and company have always managed to slow Boston’s offense down to a crawl in the biggest moments, none more evident than throughout the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023. While both teams have undergone various makeovers leading Into and during the 2023-24 season, it’s evident from the Celtics perspective just how much things have changed. Put simply, Miami does not have a simple answer for Kristaps Porzingis as was seen during Boston’s 143-110 win Thursday night.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown may lead the way for this group offensively but Porzingis is part of the puzzle that’s taking this group to a different level. The seven-footer has been a model of efficiency all year long and he stretched a top-10 Heat defense to its limits on Thursday night through the first half.
Porzingis’ impact was on display through the Celtics win but no stretch was it more pressing than the first quarter. Boston scored a season-high for a Heat opponent with 42 points and Porzingis was directly responsible for 17 of those with his shot (14 points) or with the pass. Whether it was shooting over defenders in the mid post, stretching out Miami’s bigs with his 3-point shooting or simply making the right pass when double teams came, Porzingis had all the answers, helping the Celtics build a 13-point lead.
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The momentum for the big man came crashing to a halt in the third quarter when he suffered an ankle sprain but he downplayed any concerns after the 143-110 win.
“I just went to contest Bam’s shot and as I came down just landed on his foot and just rolled my ankle,” Porzingis said. “Not too bad. In the moment it kind of got me pretty good in the moment, but I’m feeling pretty good now.”
While Porzingis sat out the final 19 minutes of the win, the game was already in Boston’s complete control with a 22-point lead when he went down. With Boston handing the Heat their fifth straight loss of the year, and their second head-to-head win over the year, defending the Celtics with Porzingis in the fold comes with no easy answers.
“They did all kinds of different stuff,” Porzingis said. “And I think they had tonight trouble stopping whatever. Whatever they were trying to do, we had an answer for that. And I think that’s what I can add to this team. When they want to switch, we took advantage of that and I was able to kick out whenever they doubled or there was help coming and we got open shots out of those situations. And then just playing my game and getting open looks out of D-White and JT, JB, creating, Jrue. So we have a lot of weapons on this team. And when we’re clicking like that it’s really tough to stop us.”
In the past, Erik Spoelstra had all kinds of tricks or adjustments that would seem to throw Boston off course. The Celtics seem to have answers to them all with Porzingis in the fold, including Miami’s zone which barely got any usage after the Celtics picked it apart.
“It’s huge,” Jaylen Brown said of Porzingis’ impact. “And every night you won’t be able to see it, but nights like tonight you can see it a little better. Especially in that first half, he only took nine shots and got 19 points. But him just being out there as a threat, teams have to respect his 3-point shooting ability and then he’s 7-foot-3 at the rim. So it just allows me, Jayson, everybody else on our team to have freedom knowing we’ve got somebody like that at the rim. So he’s big for us.”
With Porzingis now shooting over 53 percent from the field on the year, a career-high for the seven-footer, he looks like the answer to Boston’s Miami woes.
“I think he just makes us really hard to guard,” Jayson Tatum added. “Somebody his size, obviously can shoot, take advantage of mismatches. You’ve got to make the decision. Are you going to switch and put a small on him and we throw it to him, or are you going to be in drop and he drags the big out and we throw it to him and he shoots a 3. So I think just having him out there presents so many challenges for other teams.”
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