The Boston Celtics dared the Miami Heat to shoot the ball. They sagged off the perimeter, giving Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith additional space. They overreacted to drives and struggled to navigate screens. All of this led to the Celtics' struggles to impact three-point shot attempts.
In his postgame press conference, Joe Mazzulla said most of Miami’s perimeter jumpers were well-contested.
“Defensively, obviously, they made a conscious effort to have free reign to shoot more,” Mazzulla said. “I thought most of those were moderately to heavily contested. So, we’re gonna have to make the adjustment on some of those.