Black Knights

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Erik Spoelstra didn&rsquo;t even have to finish the sentence. The Miami Heat coach was speaking in the locker room after a season-extending win in Boston, players and staff standing around him in a semicircle.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no two better words,&rdquo; Spoelstra said.
&ldquo;Game 7,&rdquo; about a half-dozen people responded, in unison.
Game 7, for a berth in the NBA Finals. Either the Heat or the Boston Celtics will become Eastern Conference champions on Sunday night, when they&rsquo;ll finally finish their series and see which club will face the Golden State Warriors in the title round.
It&rsquo;ll be the second Game 7 between the teams; the other was in 2012, when the Heat topped the Celtics 101-88 to win that year&rsquo;s East title.
&ldquo;Look, we&rsquo;re here,&rdquo; Spoelstra said after Miami fended off elimination with a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-boston-celtics-nba-mlb-sports-e63d7424bb2a61e590b6e1a544c32f88">111-103 win in Boston</a> on Friday night, behind a 47-point, nine-rebound, eight-assist, four-steal effort from Jimmy Butler. &ldquo;This is the way it should be with these two teams. It should have gone seven games.&rdquo;
Miami has the home-court advantage for the finale, though home court has meant nothing in this series. The Heat went 2-1 in Boston, the Celtics have gone 2-1 in Miami so far with the two wins coming by a combined 38 points and Boston&rsquo;s 6-2 road record is the best of any teams in this season&rsquo;s playoffs.
And that has the Celtics brimming with confidence, even though road teams are 34-110 all-time &mdash; a winning percentage of .236 &mdash; in Game 7s.
&ldquo;Scale of 1 to 10? Ten. I mean, it shouldn&rsquo;t be any less than that, right?&rdquo; Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said when asked how certain he is that Boston can win the series on Miami&rsquo;s floor. &ldquo;You know, it&rsquo;s the last game. That&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s all about.&rdquo;
Injuries have been one of the major storylines of the series, and that remains the case Sunday.
Butler has been dealing with knee issues and twisted an ankle late in Game 6 though still came through with arguably the best game of his career. Kyle Lowry and Max Strus &mdash; who had big bounce-backs Friday after posting a combined zero points in Game 5 &mdash; still have hamstring concerns. For Boston, Marcus Smart&rsquo;s ankle has been balky, Robert Williams III&rsquo;s knee is an ongoing question and Jaylen Brown banged a knee on a drive in Game 5 though finished the game with no obvious ill effects.
&ldquo;This time of year, there&rsquo;s nobody 100% healthy, both sides,&rdquo; Miami&rsquo;s P.J. Tucker said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure they got a bunch of guys, too, just trying to figure it out and give what they can. Try to win. That&rsquo;s it. You can&rsquo;t get these days back. It&rsquo;s living in the moment, trying to just do what you can.&rdquo;
The Heat might get one key piece back: Tyler Herro, who has been sidelined for the last three games with a strained groin, is going to try some on-court work Sunday in hopes of playing in Game 7.
&ldquo;For us, it&rsquo;s just another opportunity,&rdquo; Celtics coach Ime Udoka said Saturday. &ldquo;You put yourself in this position, going up 3-2, to have two games to win one. And so, as much as you&rsquo;d love to finish it on your home court, we&rsquo;ve been up and down in the series and due to that it&rsquo;s where it is right now. ... It&rsquo;s just another opportunity and we obviously see the big picture ahead.&rdquo;
The Celtics last went to the NBA Finals in 2010. This is their fifth trip to the East finals since, and Friday&rsquo;s loss made them 0-5 in potential East clinchers over that span.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to come out and play, come out and respond,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;Backs are on the wall, Game 7, loser go home. We&rsquo;ve got to come out and find a way to win.&rdquo;
From Miami's perspective, the seeds began being planted for this just moments after Game 5. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-miami-heat-nba-sports-gabe-vincent-301bb4ce3cbdc51c2105c1e6f8d8c7df">Celtics had just won in Miami to take a 3-2 series lead,</a> and Spoelstra stepped into a defeated locker room to lay out the objective. He repeated it, over and over.
&ldquo;Bring this thing back on the 29th,&rdquo; Spoelstra kept saying.
The 29th is Sunday.
They brought it back. Game 7 awaits.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing like a Game 7,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m just really excited that we all get to experience that together.&rdquo;
HEAT FINED
The NBA fined Miami $25,000 on Saturday for violating league rules regarding team bench decorum. The league said &ldquo;on multiple occasions, several players stood for an extended period in Miami&rsquo;s team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on, encroaching upon or entering the playing court during live game action&rdquo; during Game 6 in Boston.
It has been a point of emphasis for the league of late. Dallas was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-dallas-mavericks-nba-sports-stephen-curry-171b1c7a09da7d977562ad6162c49102">fined a total of $175,000</a> for three similar infractions.
POWER OF 3
No opposing team has ever won three games at Miami in the same playoff series, a trend that Boston will aim to break on Sunday.
This deep into the playoffs &mdash; conference finals or NBA Finals &mdash; such a feat has occurred only 10 times in the last 40 seasons, most recently when Toronto won three times at Golden State in the 2019 NBA Finals.
GAME 7 HISTORY
Miami has two players who have scored at least 30 points in a Game 7. Lowry had 35 for Toronto in a 2016 romp over the Heat, and Victor Oladipo had 30 for Indiana in a 2018 loss to Cleveland. Tatum has averaged 24.0 points in four previous Game 7s, the best of anyone on this Boston roster.
The Celtics are 25-9 in Game 7s, Miami 6-4.
TRENDS
There have been two Game 7s so far in these playoffs, both in the second round: Boston beat Milwaukee by 28 and Dallas won at Phoenix by 33.
Road teams have won three of the last four Game 7s.
CENTURY MARK
Both teams will be playing their 100th games of the season. Miami enters 64-35, Boston 62-37.

The Celtics and Heat square off in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals.

Game 7: Heat, Celtics set to finally decide East champion

What happens is the crux of any conversation. Results spur on ideology and conjecture. Wins, losses, box scores and stat lines invite slander and celebration.
Why?&nbsp;
Results are important for measuring goals, gauging success and resetting priorities or strategies. Why those results occur is what I find fascinating.&nbsp;
The 2022 Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics have been difficult to parse through, akin to a redux of the 2004 series between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. Only four of the players who played 10 minutes per game or more in that series shot 40% or better from the floor.&nbsp;
A series defined by restrained offense and amplified defense is rooted in the why. Yes, both the Heat and Celtics have exchanged slogging moments. Turnovers have been in abundance. There have been many free throws, as the physicality is ratcheted up to the 10th degree.
The Heat&rsquo;s offense is predicated on movement, screening, handoffs and maximizing their pressure points through shooting gravity to open up looks with their collective passing and intuitive play. Miami was 14th in the league in three-point attempts per game, but first in three-point percentage (37.9%). What made them more impressive was how those shots got off.&nbsp;
The Heat are chock-full of movement shooters with Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry all capable of hitting shots off of a variety of movements and even self-created with their handles to varying degrees. Miami shot 42.9% from deep in Game 6, a far cry from the 29.2% (52/178) over the previous five games. Jimmy Butler hit four shots from distance after only hitting two all series. Tough shots fell in volume.&nbsp;
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To equate Miami&rsquo;s victory and invigorated offense strictly to shot variance would be unfair. Miami has thrived on those tough threes off movement or pull-ups all season, but they haven&rsquo;t hit the same. It&rsquo;s difficult to project another game like last night for Miami&rsquo;s shot-making, although one game throws sample size to the wind. Again, the why is so crucial here.&nbsp;
Miami&rsquo;s offense has been stuck in the mud much of the series as our own Nekias Duncan <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-heat-have-a-bigbig-problem-on-their-hands">recently wrote</a>. Boston&rsquo;s bigs have stifled the Heat in the paint and through their ability to toggle between the paint and perimeter. Stopping shots at the second and third level has been a large reason for Boston&rsquo;s defensive success. Miami,&nbsp; 27th in rim frequency during the regular season per Cleaning the Glass, is dependent on their ability to attack the gaps created by their shooting gravity.&nbsp;
They&rsquo;ve been constricted by their own shot profile at times this series, but mainly due to how Boston has been able shut off the release valves. Most of Miami&rsquo;s aforementioned premier spacing core, particularly the shooters off screens, has struggled throughout the series. We know the shots haven&rsquo;t fallen, but it&rsquo;s not simply a collective slump. Boston&rsquo;s defense as a whole has been swarming, but why have Miami&rsquo;s movement shooters struggled the most?
Through the lens of the Eastern Conference Finals and the league at large, few players epitomize the why quite like Derrick White. The results haven&rsquo;t always been there for White during the playoffs, although the post-baby bump has been real (congrats again to Derrick and his family).&nbsp;
Yet, so often when watching White, whether with the Spurs or Celtics, the why is consistently there. The consistency in process matters so much more than the consistency in production. That sounds counterintuitive, but it&rsquo;s strikingly true in basketball. There&rsquo;s a line in the sand that wavers among the grains, and White often has crossed the line in spite of his production simply due to his persistent process.
White has routinely neutralized Miami&rsquo;s release valves and shut off the water entirely for stretches. It&rsquo;s been like watching a naturally-rich land dry up after a dam is built up stream. That dam is Derrick White, and the Heat have employed any number and variety of players to try to take White out of the picture to free up shooters.
This play from Game 5 stood out.
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Notice the quick flip and pushoff from P.J. Tucker in a screening action that was masked with Oladipo setting up as a second screener. White immediately takes Oladipo, and Horford takes Tucker after Jaylen Brown switches onto Duncan Robinson. Brown navigates the screen well enough for the action to die out, and would you look at that... Derrick White still makes a play on the back side.
Already four games and roughly 10 minutes into the series, the Heat are throwing the kitchen sink at an off-ball chaser to free up their shooters. Whatever it takes to force switches, including some semi-illegal&nbsp; screens. Again, why?
Well, White immediately made his presence felt on Max Strus.
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He always shifts his body, scans the floor constantly, and his slight movements are impeccable. So often, chasers get beat off the ball because of too big a stride or a wrong step. White rarely crosses his feet up, and he can appear choppy at times, but it's because he's always on his toes, minimizing space given and maximizing his margins for error. Even with the majority of hard screens, White is making his recovery plays and finding his way back into the picture.
If he does get beat when running a shooter off the line, he's one of the best in the league with backtaps and strips.
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Press up that hard on a shooter, and the opposing team will try to use that against you as a pressure point. Lo and behold, Erik Spoelstra dialed up just that, using Duncan Robinson as a screener with White stapled to him, hoping to cause an error on the perimeter.
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White shoots that gap absurdly well. Not just well, like Julius Peppers is smiling somewhere watching that. White dips his shoulder back around Bam Adebayo's screen and is back in front of Herro by the free throw line. It's a ridiculous possession.
To say Max Strus hasn't had a fun series would be an understatement. Watch the way White starts to angle himself, immediately prepping to lock and trail as soon as he knew the movement was en route.
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White seemingly always has at least one hand on the man he's trailing, making it that much harder to gain separation.&nbsp;
This play is a pinnacle "What else am I supposed to do?" moment. Strus hits White with a swim move, sends him careening into the Tucker screen, and Tucker thuds White. So clearly, Strus should be open, right? Right?
Once again, White comes flying around the screen and reattaches to Strus' hip without being overly physical or fouling, funneling him into the looming Horford.
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That consistency has been unreal. While White isn&rsquo;t necessarily the player finishing possessions defensively (although he still forces his fair share of turnovers), the quietness is what stands out.&nbsp;
White&rsquo;s giving his best Darrelle Revis impression, shutting off options, isolated against the best deep threats in the game. You see Jimmy Butler struggling to find an opening, wading in the mid-range, but the why? Max Strus can&rsquo;t get separation. White&rsquo;s been glued to Duncan Robinson. Gabe Vincent is always seeing a rear contest on pull-up twos. Nothing is coming easy for Miami.&nbsp;
Derrick White has put on a masterclass of screen shedding and route mirroring. His off-ball defense and ability to make things difficult always&nbsp;is a large reason for why Nekias Duncan, Jackson Frank and I had <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White making an All-Defense team</a>. It's not hyperbole to say that White is among the most consistent defensive players in basketball, something that tends to go underappreciated. Regardless of whether or not the Celtics win Game 7 tomorrow and make their first NBA Finals since 2010, Derrick White's consistent ability to make things difficult deserves shine.

Derrick White has put on a defensive masterclass during the Conference Finals, shutting down Miami's shooters.

Derrick White: Eliminating release valves and shutting off the water

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jimmy Butler had 47 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the Miami Heat forced the Eastern Conference finals to a decisive seventh game by beating the Boston Celtics 111-103 on Friday night.
Ten years after LeBron James scored 45 points in Boston to help the Heat avoid elimination in Game 6 of the conference finals en route to the first of their back-to-back NBA titles, Butler had 17 points in the fourth quarter to top him and send the series back to Miami.
With a victory at home Sunday, the Heat would advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.
In the most back-and-forth game of the series, Boston took a 97-94 lead on Derrick White&rsquo;s 3-pointer with under five minutes to play &mdash; the first time all series the lead has changed hands in the fourth quarter. Kyle Lowry answered with a 3 and then added two free throws as Miami scored 11 of the next 13 points.
Lowry finished with 18 points and 10 assists before fouling out with 2:18 left. Butler made 16 of 29 shots, hitting 4 of 8 from 3-point range and all 11 free throws.
Jayson Tatum had 30 points and nine rebounds and Derrick White came off the bench to score 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter for Boston. The Celtics are trying to reach the finals for the first time since 2010.
Boston's Jaylen Brown scored 20 points, missing a pair of free throws with the game tied at 99 after Lowry fouled out. Brown fouled out himself on a charge offensive that was assessed after a challenge on a missed dunk with 13 seconds left and the Celtics down by four.
IN AND OUT
Miami guard Tyler Herro missed his third straight game with a strained groin, costing the team its No. 2 score. Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Max Strus (hamstring) and P.J. Tucker (knee) had been listed as questionable but were in the starting lineup.
Boston&rsquo;s Marcus Smart (sprained right ankle) and Robert Williams III (sore knee) tested their injuries pregame and were also in the lineup.
TIP-INS
Heat: Butler&rsquo;s 47 points is the third-most to stave off elimination against the Celtics. Elgin Baylor scored 61 in Game 5 of 1962, and Wilt Chamberlain had 50 in Game 5 in 1960. ... Butler had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in the first. He scored or assisted on 24 of Miami&rsquo;s 29 points in the quarter.
Celtics: Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who was inducted into the ballclub&rsquo;s Hall of Fame on Thursday night, was courtside. Ortiz threw out a ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park earlier in the evening. Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez was also at the game, wearing his World Series ring.

Behind Jimmy Butler's 47 points, the Miami Heat forced a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics.

Butler scores 47 points, Heat beat Celtics to force Game 7

The Tyrese Haliburton era is well on its way in Indianapolis, which means it&rsquo;s likely time to say adios to Malcolm Brogdon in an Indiana Pacers uniform. Brogdon is one of the more <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-nba-players-who-feel-destined-to-be-traded-this-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obvious trade candidates in the NBA this offseason</a> thanks to his consistent injury issues and Haliburton&rsquo;s quick emergence. Despite Brogdon's missed games, he will still attract interest from rival teams.
During Brogdon&rsquo;s three-year tenure with the Pacers, he averaged 18.9 points, 6.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game on a 55.3 True Shooting percentage. Brogdon always produced when he was on the court for Indiana, but his availability was an issue. Going forward, it&rsquo;s going to be hard for Brogdon to shed the &ldquo;injury prone&rdquo; label because it&rsquo;s been an issue dating back to his collegiate career at the University of Virginia.
Aside from injury concerns, Brogdon&rsquo;s market will be robust with playofff or championship-hopeful teams lining up for his services. As a versatile multi-positional defender, connective playmaker and secondary scorer, Brogdon can really help a team that's going in the opposite direction as the rebuilding Pacers.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s go ahead and dive into the most realistic trade packages Indiana could expect for Brogdon this offseason. As Indiana turns the page to Haliburton, it&rsquo;s time to extract some value from a potential Brogdon deal.
Phoenix Suns
Pacers receive: Landry Shamet, Dario Saric, 2024 1st-round draft pick (lottery protected)
Suns receive: Malcolm Brogdon, 2022 No. 31 pick
Phoenix&rsquo;s lack of guard depth was exposed throughout the playoffs. They simply can&rsquo;t rely on Cameron Payne anymore, who was a DNP-CD when it mattered most in the Western Conference Semifinals. Phoenix flirted with the idea of chasing Brogdon before signing Ricky Rubio back in 2019. Three years later, bringing Brogdon to the Valley as the Suns&rsquo; short-term backup and long-term fit alongside Devin Booker is a home run transaction.
Also, there has been some buzz that the Suns are trying to get into the 2022 NBA Draft. They have met with multiple players projected to be selected in the mid-to-late first round, including LSU&rsquo;s Tari Eason, Ohio State&rsquo;s E.J. Liddell and Duke&rsquo;s Wendell Moore. Adding any of those prospects will be impossible without adding a pick. The Suns could always buy an early second-round pick for $3 million, but that&rsquo;s never been their way of thinking.
Is this where Suns GM James Jones could get creative to snag a championship piece at discounted value? Brogdon and Chris Paul sharing minutes is a dream scenario for Phoenix since all 48 minutes at point guard would provide well above-average production. Also, we could see three-guard lineups galore thanks to Brogdon&rsquo;s versatility.
In this scenario, Indiana would add a shooter in Shamet who only has two guaranteed years left on his extension. Maybe Shamet could be their Buddy Hield replacement if they also decide to trade him soon. Adding a future first for Brogdon is the right risk for Indiana to take as well.
Utah Jazz
Pacers receive: Mike Conley, Jared Butler, 2025 2nd-round pick
Jazz receive: Malcolm Brogdon
The Jazz desperately need to shake things up. Stagnation is on the horizon in Salt Lake City, if it hasn&rsquo;t reached that point already. Utah may blow it up this offseason, but even if they don't, they need to do something in order to keep Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert happy long-term.
As we saw during the Jazz&rsquo;s quick postseason exit, Conley seems like a shell of himself. Looking back on that trade now, Utah has to be kicking themselves for surrendering so much for the veteran point guard.
Utah needs to get creative to avoid moving one of Mitchell or Gobert soon, so Conley going back home to Indianapolis makes a lot of sense here. Brogdon is a huge upgrade over Conley, and he helps address a dire need of perimeter defense.
Indiana would add a veteran mentor for Haliburton to lean on for a year since Conley&rsquo;s contract isn&rsquo;t fully guaranteed in 2023-24. Adding a young scoring guard in Butler alongside a future second-round pick might not be enough for the Pacers, but it's at least enough to start negotiations.
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Los Angeles Lakers
Pacers receive: Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, 2023 2nd, 2025 2nd, 2027 1st (lottery protected)
Lakers receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Goga Bitadze
This only makes sense if the Pacers are willing to take on the final year of Westbrook&rsquo;s contract, which would have any team second-guessing themselves beforehand. Surprisingly enough, Indiana is actually the betting favorite to land Westbrook if the Lakers offload him this offseason.
The Pacers would need a hefty return in order take on Westbrook while also relinquishing Brogdon and Hield. Adding Horton-Tucker, two future second-round picks and the Lakers&rsquo; next available first-round selection gets the job done. Los Angeles would hate to part with THT and even more draft capital, but Brogdon and Hield are perfect pieces to place alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Who knows, maybe Bitadze slides into the Lakers&rsquo; rotation as the backup center?
Indiana is embracing a full-scale rebuild, and pulling off a move like this would be consistent with that approach.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Pacers receive: D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, No. 19 pick, No. 40 pick
Timberwolves receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Goga Bitadze, No. 31 pick, 2023 2nd (via San Antonio Spurs)
As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-dangelo-russell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our Nekias Duncan recently wrote</a>, a D&rsquo;Angelo Russell departure from Minnesota feels imminent this summer. It&rsquo;s another unfortunate turn in the career for Russell, who continues to bounce around the Association, unable to find a long-term home. The fit in Minnesota alongside good friend Karl-Anthony Towns had its moments, but Russell&rsquo;s negatives popped up in the postseason when it mattered most. After being benched in crunch-time situations by head coach Chris Finch and not having his name mentioned in The Athletic&rsquo;s recent story on new executive Tim Connelly, it wouldn't be shocking to see Russell playing elsewhere in 2022-23.
Even with the Pacers already having Haliburton and Chris Duarte, this feels like a spot where they could take a year-long look at Russell as a potential long-term backcourt piece. As a former top-three pick, Russell would bring more fanfare to the Pacers&rsquo; rebuild. And if he meshes well alongside Haliburton, Russell could become a long-term piece in Indiana and finally find a home.
From the Timberwolves&rsquo; point of view, this makes a whole lot of sense. Brogdon is a much better fit alongside Towns and Anthony Edwards, as he's easily able to slide into the No. 3 scoring role while providing an ideal complementary low-usage skill set. Taking a flier on Bitadze, a former top-20 pick, is also interesting, and as he could back up Towns.
Miami Heat
Pacers receive: Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, 2023 1st (lottery protected)
Heat receive: Malcolm Brogdon
As we&rsquo;ve seen unfold late in the postseason, Miami needs to find another offensive creator. Simply put, the Heat need more weapons to compete with the NBA&rsquo;s current juggernauts. Luckily for Miami, some much-needed flexibility could be on the way.
The Duncan Robinson contract looks like a disaster, but what if they could use his bloated salary and some future draft capital to bring in an immediate impact piece? Brogdon feels like the perfect remedy for Miami since he can take playmaking pressure off of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry. Brogdon and Lowry could split minutes, which is a huge benefit for both players and would help keep them fresh and out of the training room.
For Indiana, they could be comfortable taking on Robinson&rsquo;s contract with all of their salary-cap space currently available. Adding Strus and a draft pick could make this deal worth it for the Pacers.
All of a sudden, Miami is now in a strong position to make another deep postseason push with Brogdon onboard for 2022-23 and beyond.
***
Every team in the NBA needs shooting, defensive versatility and playmaking. Even with his injury history, Brogdon would be well worth the risk for any team looking to take the next step forward.
If Brogdon is able to stay healthy, adding him at this price could be a coup for whichever team is next after Milwaukee and Indiana.
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With the Tyrese Haliburton era blossoming for the Pacers, Malcolm Brogdon is one of the most logical NBA trade candidates.

Examining potential trade destinations for Malcolm Brogdon

The hallmark of an Erik Spoelstra-led defense is being able to dictate terms. The personnel has changed during his tenure &mdash; heck, the league has changed during his tenure &mdash; but Spo teams generally make you beat them their way.
The core tenet of Spoelstra has been taking away shots at the rim. It's been done in multiple schemes, with their own unique twists.
It's been Dwyane Wade flying around as the league's smallest weak-side helper &mdash; the Heat ranked second behind the Dwight Howard-led Orlando Magic in opponent rim rate during the 2009-10 season, per Cleaning The Glass, with Wade averaging 1.1 blocks per contest.
The Heat bltized and trapped like crazy during the Big Three Era when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the party. The post-Big Three, pre-Jimmy Butler era was the heaviest dose of drop coverage we've seen under Spoelstra, headlined by Hassan Whiteside.
(The gust of wind you just felt was the collective shudder from Heat fans.)
The Heat are switching a ton these days, a shade below Boston's rate this season, but they're showing plenty of help from the strong-side corner and the free-throw line area whenever a mismatch is given. Again, it's the Heat saying one of two things: you're flat-out not getting shots here, or you're gonna have to work to get there.
And if all else fails &mdash; or even when it doesn't &mdash; Spoelstra has had various zone looks he can sprinkle in to force an offense to work more east-west than north-south.
That leads us to this series, where the Celtics are dictating terms on offense. More specifically, the Celtics with a healthy frontcourt are doing the job.
The playoffs are about poking and prodding for a weakness you can repeatedly exploit. At the very least, teams have to live with something while hoping they can create enough goodness elsewhere to compensate. With Al Horford and Robert Williams on the floor together, the Heat haven't been able to thread that needle.
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There aren't many similarities between Horford and Williams.
There's an 11-year age gap, on top of a massive difference in athleticism (advantage Williams) and scoring ability (advantage Horford). The two traits they do share &mdash; an ability to facilitate offense above the break and their sense for cutting off windows defensively &mdash; make them a fun pairing. A versatile pairing. A nearly impenetrable pairing when they're upright.
The Heat, known for toggling schemes and assignments on the fly, are boxed in when Horford and Williams share the floor. Because of the threat Williams poses as a lob-catcher and putback merchant, Miami can't comfortably stash a wing on him to free Bam Adebayo, the team's Defensive Player of the Year candidate, to defend either of the Jays.
But because of Horford's ability to get busy on the block, wings aren't really safe on him either. PJ Tucker is the lone player aside from Adebayo who can defend bigs or forwards with the same confidence, if not effectiveness, altogether. The issue there, of course, is that Tucker has the Jayson Tatum assignment.
Letting Adebayo and Tucker handle the frontcourt means Butler can only take Tatum or Jaylen Brown. Whoever's left has his choice of a fine-but-flawed defender in Max Strus, or an undersized-and-hampered Kyle Lowry.&nbsp;
This is the conundrum the Heat are faced with before even getting into what the Celtics are actually running. Their spacing. Their improved tempo in the half-court over the last two games.
To that point, the Celtics have posted a 115.8 Offensive Rating &mdash; the equivalent of the NBA's second-best offense if extrapolated over the course of a season &mdash; with the Horford-Williams duo on the court over the last two games, per Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
In Game 4, you saw the issues Williams could cause if Adebayo wasn't attached to him. Adebayo drew the Horford assignment, which left a smaller player on Williams. There just wasn't a match for his blend of size and vertical pop.
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In Game 5, the Heat were diligent about Adebayo getting the Williams assignment. Naturally, the Celtics parked him at the dunker spot (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscribe!</a>) and went to work elsewhere.&nbsp;
Inverted ball-screens were a flavor the Celtics enjoyed last night. It was a way for Tatum to further pick out a favorable matchup, then dare the Heat to help their way out of trouble.&nbsp;
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Lowry and Tucker botch the coverage, opening up a slip from Derrick White. Butler is one of the best helpers from the nail in the entire league, but he offers no support since he has the Brown matchup. Adebayo doesn't even fully help on the White drive; he simply lunges and retreats back to Williams, an admission that stopping the lob is of more importance than a White push shot.
Horford himself got involved as a screener. He set 11 screens while sharing the floor with Williams, and the Celtics scored well over 1.3 points per possession on those trips, per Second Spectrum.
Between Horford's skill set and the fear of Williams at the rim, the Heat were consistently in pick-your-poison situations. If Horford (or Williams) weren't open, driving lanes were clearer for their teammates.
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And then, there's the defense.
Frankly, the Heat haven't had a good time. Dealing with Boston's quartet of high-level on-ball defenders &mdash; Marcus Smart, White, Tatum, Brown &mdash; is enough to keep you up at night. Add in the versatility of Horford and Williams, and it's easy to see why the Heat haven't scored in bunches.&nbsp;
(Oh, since they won't say it: Most of Miami's top scorers and shooters dealing with some sort of physical ailment makes the job even more difficult.)&nbsp;
Beck to the on-court product, the blend of elite personnel, scheme versatility and Miami's own shortcomings have made for tough sledding in the half-court. Most of Miami's pet actions can be switched on the perimeter.
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There have been small pockets to attack when Boston's in drop coverage, but that's exactly the point. Aside from Game 1, the pockets have been small, man. It's been pull up or bust for the most part, and the Heat haven't made them pay.&nbsp;
The Heat have mostly tried to engage Horford on that front. I'd assume it's because Horford's drop has been a little steeper, giving ball-handlers more of a runway to drive or pull-up into. Unfortunately for the Heat, they haven't been able to take advantage of that space.
If a Heat ball-handler is able to gain an advantage, his options are to pull up against a solid contest or drive deep enough to force a peel switch with Horford. Running a high enough screen to shake the perimeter defender and&nbsp;beat Horford hasn't really been a thing, and all that does is engage Williams &mdash; often playing&nbsp;way off of Tucker &mdash; as the actual last line of defense.
It's led to pick-and-roll possessions like this:
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And this:
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And this:
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I hope you're getting the points, because the Heat sure aren't.
How about this stat from Second Spectrum: Miami possessions featuring a pick-and-roll, while Horford and Williams share the floor, have generated 0.5 points per possession over the last two games. 50 points per 100 possessions. That is not a typo.
Trips featuring a dribble handoff haven't fared much better (0.74 points per possession), and collective size and active help have made Miami's split action from the post much less effective than it was in the regular season.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the Heat's half-court offense has been woeful over the last two games. A 61.9 would be a fantastic round of golf; a 61.9 ORTG in the half-court probably has Dr. James Naismith rolling over in his grave.
All isn't completely lost for the Heat. Spoelstra expressed optimism about Miami's half-court process after Game 5, saying a lot of the shots the team took (and missed) were more "in our wheelhouse." They've shown counters against Boston's drop, like this flip-it-and-reverse-it action for Duncan Robinson:
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But ultimately, the margins are incredibly small. Though their shot quality improved in Game 5, they had to work so. freaking. hard. to. do. it.
It's a testament to how locked in Boston is defensively. They've pulled a Heat on the Heat, walling off the paint &mdash; only 26.3% of the Heat's shots have come at the rim over the past two games &mdash; and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-this-wacky-celticsheat-series-by-the-numbers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">daring them to win from outside</a>.
On the other side, Boston has slightly bumped up its rim rate &mdash; 30.9% over the past two games, and&nbsp; 31.6% overall in the series compared to 30.6% during the regular season.
That paint dominance begins with the Horford-Williams duo.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down how the Al Horford-Robert Williams frontcourt is causing problems for the Heat on both ends.

The Heat have a big-big problem on their hands

It is common for the players who score the most points to get the most praise. They get the credit on SportsCenter and are viewed as the stars of the night. But there is another kind of player who typically doesn't get the credit they deserve, whose importance to the team is not often illuminated.
Enter Victor Oladipo.
In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, Oladipo's 5 points didn't make the ESPN highlight reel or pop out in the box score. His stat line wasn&rsquo;t highlighted on the NBA TV recap.
After being bumped out of the rotation in the first half in favor of Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson, Oladipo could have pouted and had an attitude. This is something that happens at every level: a player doesn&rsquo;t play in the first half and mentally checks out. Sometimes, they are visibily disgruntled. You may be able to see it during halftime warm-ups or in his demeanor on the bench.&nbsp;
Oladipo didn&rsquo;t do any of that. He stayed locked in and was ready and prepared if his number happened to be called. Then, it happened. Jimmy Butler went down and could not return to the game in the second half. Butler has been carrying the team throughout the series; he is who the offense runs through, who the team relies on every trip down the court in some capacity. When he couldn't return due to a knee injury, Oladipo&rsquo;s number was called and he was ready.
In just 20 minutes, Oladipo had 4 steals (twice as many as the Celtics had as team for the entire game) and 8 pass deflections (one more than the Celtics). After the game, PJ Tucker raved about Oladipo's play.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s usually his offense everybody talks about,&rdquo; Tucker said. &ldquo;He comes in with a spark. But his lateral slides and quickness were unbelievable. I told him tonight, 'That was some of the best lateral foot speed I&rsquo;ve seen anybody have.' Jaylen Brown, when he gets going &mdash; especially right &mdash; he's tough to get back in front of. For Vic to square him up was unreal. He gave us a spark.
&ldquo;We talked about it at the half, knowing he was about to start the half and play. To not play at all and then step in and do what he did in the second half, that level of professionalism is few and far between.&rdquo;
Former NBA guard Jamal Crawford tweeted: &ldquo;Vic Oladipo&rsquo;s stats won&rsquo;t justify the game he actually played. They don&rsquo;t win this game without him.&rdquo;
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Vic Oladipo&rsquo;s stats won&rsquo;t justify the game he actually played. They don&rsquo;t win this game without him.
&mdash; 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/1528214518660157440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;Everything about it, it speaks to his competitive character,&rdquo; Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Oladipo. &ldquo;That was not easy. We went with a slightly different rotation because Kyle [Lowry] came back. That is going to force some changes throughout the rotation, so he didn&rsquo;t play in the first half. We&rsquo;ve had so many guys that have had to take on different roles and sacrifice. We say it&rsquo;s always easy to sacrifice when you&rsquo;re not the one doing it, and he&rsquo;s had to sacrifice many times. That wasn&rsquo;t easy. That wasn&rsquo;t necessarily the way we were going to go the first half. Just things were going really well. We just kept going with that. Then, all of a sudden, boom: Jimmy is not going to go in the second half.
"For him to be stable enough and not be frustrated and not be rolling his eyes and like, 'Oh, okay, now I get an opportunity.... he&rsquo;s just steady. Stays the course. He&rsquo;s made himself available, made himself vulnerable through this whole process. He&rsquo;s prepared behind the scenes. His minutes in the second half were so important defensively against their two studs (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown), and then offensively, he just gave us a facsimile of a lot of the stuff we do with Jimmy. And I mean that as the ultimate compliment.&rdquo;
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This isn&rsquo;t the first time during these playoffs that Oladipo has had to be ready to jump right in and be a determining factor when his number was called. Oladipo was actually outside of Miami's rotation in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. However, he ended up being one of the key reasons for the Heat's 97-94 win in Game 5, which could have easily gone in the Hawks favor. Oladipo poured in 23 points, 3 assists and 3 steals, while shooting 50% from the floor and 50% from three. After that game, his play was featured in ESPN's highlight reel and his stat line jumped out when looking at the box score.
But again, if he hadn't been ready when his number was called, none of that would have been possible. Time and time again, Oladipo has shown that when given the opportunity, he can produce at a high level and be a game-changing player. Any questions about his past injuries (including a ruptured right quadricep tendon) should be laid to rest as he's proven that he's back in terms of his lateral movement, athleticism, ability to create his own shot, outside shooting and transition defense.
&ldquo;Signing Victor Oladipo [to a veteran-minimum deal] was one of the biggest steals in NBA history for the Miami Heat," said Daniel Abraham, Oladipo&rsquo;s former AAU coach. "To get a former All-Star and All-Defensive Team player still near his prime like that for very little and be able to wait patiently for him to get healthy is the type of move that will likely land them in the NBA Finals! And if you know Vic like I do, you know the level of the dedication and work ethic he has always had, so none of this would surprise you.&ldquo;
Many in the NBA world were ready to write him off into irrelevance after he re-injured his leg in 2020 and got traded twice. In January 2021, Oladipo was traded to the Houston Rockets in the four-team blockbuster deal that also sent James Harden to Brooklyn and Caris LeVert to Indiana. Two months later, the Rockets sent Oladipo to Miami for a first-round pick swap, Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk.
But with all that behind him, Oladipo is proving all of his doubters wrong. He is far from finished and he has proven that he's still capable of being an impact player and a X-Factor for his team &mdash; whether it&rsquo;s by solely playing defense on one of the best scorers in the league or stepping in and being one of the game's high scorers himself. Regardless of his role, Oladipo will have the right attitude and energy, even if those opportunities don&rsquo;t present themselves each and every game.
This is the type of player whom any organization would want on their team, and Oladipo should receive plenty of interest from teams when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.
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Regardless of what the box score showed, Victor Oladipo played a crucial role in the Heat's Game 3 win over the Celtics.

Victor Oladipo staying ready and making the most of every opportunity

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Bam Adebayo scored 31 points with 10 rebounds for the Miami Heat, who blew a 25-point, first-half lead and lost Jimmy Butler to a knee injury but held on to beat the Boston Celtics 109-103 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.
Boston never led in the game, but erased almost all of the 62-37 deficit and came within one point, 93-92, with 2:40 to play on a 3-pointer from Jaylen Brown, who finished with 40 points.
Max Strus answered with a 3 and then Adebayo bounced off defender Al Horford and made a basket at the shot clock buzzer to give Miami a six-point cushion it held to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 4 is Monday night in Boston.
In a game that saw Butler and Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart leave with injuries &mdash; though both Celtics returned &mdash; Kyle Lowry came back from a four-game absence and scored 11 with six assists for the Heat. P.J. Tucker &mdash; like Lowry a game-time decision &mdash; scored 17 for the Heat.
Horford scored 20 points with 14 rebounds, and Smart scored 16. Tatum had 10 points on 3-for-14 shooting; he also had six turnovers and Brown committed seven of Boston&rsquo;s 24 turnovers &mdash; a 2022 playoff high.
After losing Game 2 at home by 25 points to cede home-court advantage to the Celtics, the Heat opened a 62-37 lead with under three minutes left in the second quarter and then watched Boston score the last 10 points of the half to claw its way back into the game.
Things got worse for the Heat when they announced at halftime that Butler, who scored 41 in the series opener, would not return with right knee inflammation.
Miami still led by 15, 87-72, after three, and made it a 17-point game on Adebayo&rsquo;s basket to start the fourth. But the Celtics ran off the next nine points to get within single digits for the first time since the first three minutes of the game. Trailing 93-80, the Celtics scored 12 straight points &ndash; 10 by Brown &ndash; to make it a one-point game with 2:40 left.
IN AND OUT
Boston opened the second with a basket to make it a 13-point game, but the building went silent when Smart, the Defensive Player of the Year, went down in a collision with Lowry while going for a loose ball and needed to be helped to the locker room.
Smart returned just five minutes later, drawing a huge cheer when the scoreboard showed him walking down the tunnel back toward the court. He checked back in with seven minutes left in the third and hit a 3-pointer that made it a 10-point game, 72-62, and forced the Heat to call timeout.
The situation was repeated when Tatum went down in obvious pain with five minutes left in the fourth. He went straight to the locker room, clutching his right side, but also returned to the cheers of the crowd.
Lowry missed eight of the Heat&rsquo;s previous 10 games with a right hamstring strain, last playing in Game 4 of Miami&rsquo;s second-round series with Philadelphia. Tucker had a sore left knee but was also in the starting lineup.
The Celtics played without center Robert Williams III, who missed three games in the second round against Milwaukee with soreness and a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee. Daniel Theis started in his place. Derrick White returned after missing Game 2 to be at the birth of his first child.
TIP-INS
The Celtics&rsquo; 24 turnovers led to 33 Miami points. The Heat had nine turnovers that led to nine Celtics points. ... Miami&rsquo;s bench outscored Boston&rsquo;s 26-16. ... The Heat shot 64% in the first quarter, but finished at 46.7%. ... Penn State coach and former Celtics assistant Micah Shrewsberry and Providence College coach Ed Cooley were both in attendance.

A hotly-contested, injury-riddled Game 3 ended with the Miami Heat taking a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Heat Alert: Miami beats Boston 109-103 for 2-1 series lead

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Smart brought the energy boost the Celtics needed to ignite a blowout win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Heat.
Now armed with home-court advantage in the series, Boston will look to maintain its edge at TD Garden during Saturday's Game 3, where it will be opposite a Miami team that is dealing with new health concerns.
A chance to lead a series is a welcome change in position for Boston, which had to play catch-up throughout its second-round series with Milwaukee before rallying to win Games 6 and 7. The Celtics are 4-0 following a loss this postseason.
Smart, the Defensive Player of the Year, said his goal was to bring the edge he's become known for in Boston.
&ldquo;Being the energy that I am, being the point guard that I am I take a lot of pressure off our guys so they don&rsquo;t have to force it as much,&rdquo; Smart said. &ldquo;So that they can be who they are.&rdquo;
Sidelined with a mid-foot sprain in Game 1, Smart watched as Boston was outscored 39-14 in the third quarter on the way to a 118-107 loss. In Game 2, he contributed 24 points and 12 assists in the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-miami-heat-nba-sports-07cae0349b8cf097f37d7b4ba1a08e8f">Celtics&rsquo; 127-102 victory</a>.
He supported big nights from Jayson Tatum (27 points), Jaylen Brown (24 points) and Al Horford, who had 10 points in 32 minutes after sitting out the series opener while in the health and safety protocols.
&ldquo;I just kept telling myself, Game 2 you&rsquo;re playing,&rdquo; Smart said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care how hurt you are, you have to give it a shot.&rdquo;
Boston coach Ime Udoka said the consensus after Game 1 was that the Heat out-hustled his team. Miami's schemes didn't change in Game 2, but the Celtics equaled the Heat&rsquo;s physicality and intensity.
"We pride ourselves on being one of the tougher teams,&rdquo; Udoka said. &ldquo;We knew if we matched that we&rsquo;d be in good shape.&rdquo;
The Celtics led 70-45 at halftime and snuffed out the Heat&rsquo;s attempts at a comeback by playing them even (26-26) in the third quarter. Down 25 entering the fourth, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra elected to rest his starters.
Heat forward P.J. Tucker left the game with a left knee bruise. He had an MRI Friday before boarding the team plane to Boston and is questionable for Game 2 with irritation in the knee.
Point guard Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s is also questionable with a right hamstring strain. He's missed eight of the last 10 games and hasn&rsquo;t played since Game 4 of Miami&rsquo;s second-round series with Philadelphia. Gabe Vincent is questionable with a left hamstring strain.
Asked after Game 2 about the prospect of not having Tucker, Jimmy Butler said the Heat would adjust as necessary.
&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;ll be all right,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;If he&rsquo;s not ready to go, though, everybody else has to be ready to go. Those are some even bigger shoes to have to fill because he does it on the defensive end. We&rsquo;re capable of it, though.&rdquo;
That will be easier said than done against Celtics team that exposed Miami's attempts to mix in some zone defense by connecting on 20 of 40 attempts from 3-point range.
Horford&rsquo;s presence also made Heat center Bam Adebayo a virtual non-factor. Adebayo had nine rebounds and six points.
&ldquo;The beauty about this team is we got to play through adversity early on in the season with injuries and stuff like that. COVID. We got to see what we were really made of,&rdquo; Smart said. &ldquo;It did feel good to have unit out there that we know when we&rsquo;re out there what we can do.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

The Celtics hope to keep up their intensity at home versus the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Smart, gritty Celtics hope to maintain intensity vs Heat

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each had 24 and the Boston Celtics dominated the first half to roll past the Miami Heat 127-102 on Thursday night and tie the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.
Smart was a rebound shy of a triple-double, after adding 12 assists and nine rebounds.
Grant Williams scored 19 points for Boston, which used a 17-0 run late in the first quarter &mdash; fueled by five 3-pointers in the span of six possessions &mdash; to take control. Payton Pritchard and Al Horford each had 10 for the Celtics.
Jimmy Butler had 29 points in 32 minutes for Miami, which fell to 7-1 at home in these playoffs. Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladipo each scored 14 points, and Tyler Herro added 11 for the Heat.
The Celtics &mdash; now 4-0 in these playoffs in the game immediately following a loss &mdash; made 20 shots from 3-point range to Miami's 10. Game 3 is Saturday in Boston.
And the margin could have been worse: Boston led by as many as 34 points in the fourth, putting this game on the cusp of really good Celtics history and really bad Heat history. The Celtics' record for biggest postseason win ever is 40, the Heat record for biggest postseason loss ever is 36, and those numbers were within reach before a meaningless Miami run over the final moments.
Boston trailed by 10 in the first quarter, then outscored Miami 60-21 over the next 18 minutes &mdash; a 39-point turnaround that wound up leading to a 70-45 halftime lead.
The 25-point halftime lead was the biggest by the Celtics in any road playoff game, topping a 22-point edge at the break at Chicago in 2009.
Brown had 11 points in the first quarter, when the Celtics went 9 for 11 from 3-point range. Tatum then had 17 points in the second and Boston kept pulling away, on a day where everything went the Celtics&rsquo; way. They learned earlier in the day that two starters &mdash; Horford (virus-related issues) and Smart (mid-foot sprain) &mdash; were cleared to play in Game 2 after missing the series opener.
&ldquo;I got to get my rest, got to get my health back, got to watch and see some things and come out and execute in this game," Smart said.
And the good news kept coming well into the night.
Butler did all he could to try and manufacture a comeback, scoring 16 points in the third quarter and getting the Heat within 17. But a 12-2 run late in the quarter by the Celtics restored a 27-point edge. The lead was 96-71 going into the fourth and the outcome was never remotely close to being in question the rest of the way.
Miami didn't even use its starters in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Technically, Boston had one other &ldquo;road&rdquo; game with a bigger halftime lead. The Celtics were the designated visitor on Sept. 7, 2020 &mdash; in the bubble at Walt Disney World &mdash; when they led Toronto by 27 at the break. ... With Horford back, Grant Williams returned to his off-the-bench role. ... Tatum got his second foul with 4:14 left in the first, after charging into Butler. The entirety of the 17-0 run came with him on the bench.
Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) sat for the eighth time in the last 10 games. ... It was the first game since Dallas-Atlanta on Feb. 1, 2020 in which both teams had a 10-point lead in the first quarter.... P.J. Tucker had Miami&rsquo;s first five points, all in the game&rsquo;s first 51 seconds. It was his 863rd career game, the first in which he had five points in the first minute. Those were his only points of the night, and he left in the third quarter with a left knee contusion.
25 TWICE
This Boston team is the sixth club in the last 25 years to have two separate games where it led by at least 25 points in Miami in the same season. The Celtics also did it on Nov. 4. The other teams who pulled it off: Milwaukee last season (won NBA title), San Antonio in 2013-14 (won NBA title), Boston in 2007-08 (won NBA title), Toronto (2007-08) and Charlotte (2000-01).
500 AND COUNTING
The Heat announced their 500th consecutive sellout, excluding games affected by the pandemic. Only Dallas (867 and counting), Portland (814 from 1977 through 1995), Boston (662 from 1980 through 1995) and Chicago (610 from 1987 through 2000) have streaks that the NBA counts as being longer.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each had 24 and the Celtics dominated to roll past the Heat 127-102.

Celtics roll past Heat 127-102, tie East Finals at 1-1

In a raucous Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Miami Heat walked away with the first tally struck in the win column of the best-of-seven series.
Boston opened up shooting the lights out, taking a 62-54 halftime lead. Jayson Tatum was firing on all cylinders. Robert Williams III was cultivating a no-fly zone with his verticality. Derrick White had Max Strus running circles trying to get open.
Coming out of the locker room for the second half, it was a different story. The Heat cracked off a 22-2 run to start the third quarter. Butler finished the game with 41 points, and his physical drives battered the Celtics, particularly with Payton Pritchard seeing the court as much as he did due to Marcus Smart's injury. Butler's prowess is the main story last night, but as you can hear multiple times a week on The Dunker Spot&nbsp;(<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/young-man-the-three/id1547857052?i=1000561786139" target="_blank" rel="noopener">They just had JJ Redick on, go listen!</a>), good offenses require multiple pressure points &mdash; especially against a defense as good as Boston's.
Tyler Herro had it going off the bench last night and was a bastion for Miami's first-half offense. Victor Oladipo crafted some solid looks out of ball screens, but the finishing wasn't there.
And then, there was Gabe Vincent, who was exceptional in finding his groove in the first half as a tough shot-maker in pick-and-roll situations and off of screens. He also found his teammates well as a second-side operator in the offense.
Vincent finished with a +23 Tuesday night, second in the game only to Butler (+25), and while single-game plus-minus is a finicky metric at times, it was indicative of Miami's play. The best minutes the Heat put forth were with the duo on-court and working in tandem. After a stellar regular season that saw Vincent start 27 games, he struggled a great deal across the first two series from the floor, shooting 27.7% from three and registering a 49.5% True Shooting percentage; a far cry from his regular-season play.
17 points, 3 assists and gritty defense made for a grand return to form for Vincent in the series opener, and a return greatly needed for a Heat team still missing Kyle Lowry.
Vincent's first basket encapsulated much of what was essential in his Game 1; extremely tough and well-defended, and Butler screening (more on that later).
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Ripping off a quick double drag with Butler rolling and PJ Tucker popping, Vincent gets a step or two on Jaylen Brown due to a crunching Tucker screen. Robert Williams III is lurking, already having rejected a similar play from Vincent in an empty side pick-and-roll with Tucker earlier in the first quarter.
Vincent goes up and Williams III magnetizes to the ball, but Vincent adjusts mid-air and gets a remarkable high-glass finish to fall.
With his only second-quarter shot attempt midway through the frame, Gabe hit a relocation three to draw Miami back within single digits.
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Shout out to Caleb Martin for the impromptu screen and calling for Vincent to move and open himself up for the Butler outlet. With how this game was going for Boston early, enough can't be said for how huge this possession was at the time and in retrospect.
Early in the third quarter, there were two huge back-to-back plays by Vincent that kick-started the Heat offense. First, a huge deep self-created three to bail out a stifled possession. To say it felt back-breaking in the moment seems egregious, but just watching that game live, it was like, "WOAH, okay this is happening. The Heat are here."
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There's going to be, and already has been, criticism for Tatum's defense here, but I'm not sure what else you're supposed to do. Play too tight, and Vincent is going for a drawn foul. Tatum looks at the shot clock momentarily and that's right when Vincent rises and fires. Huge shot, huge play; here comes the avalanche (Miamalanche???).
Off another stifled Boston possession, Vincent comes down with a high pick from Bam Adebayo, and tries a pull-up three with about 5.5 seconds off the shot clock. He misses, but the impact is sizable. Boston's defense isn't that set, and it's scrambling to be ready earlier. Butler does his ghostly ninja cut to catch&nbsp; Brown off guard as soon as the shot goes up and seals Jaylen, and the offensive rebound falls right into Butler's lap. Putback, Miami lead.
Here's where the fun wrinkle mentioned earlier starts to come in. Jimmy Butler: Super-screener.&nbsp;
Butler was utilized as a screener for much of the game by the Heat, partially to limit how often he was strictly spacing, but also to get him going towards the rim. With how Vincent started to gun from deep and operate as a handler late second and early third, the combining of pressure points was vital in tearing open the gap and bending the Boston defense in cruel ways.
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Three Vincent-Butler pick-and-roll possessions, three fouls drawn! That's pretty good!
Miami did everything they could to put Pritchard through the ringer. Case in point: This Butler-Vincent dribble handoff.
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Make Pritchard run, get Vincent a half-step, make Tatum think and make a decision with the clear-out. Vincent touches the paint and kicks to Tucker. "BANG!"
Vincent's icing on the cake was this sideline out-of-bounds play.
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Another Butler screen in a quick Chicago action for Vincent. White was legitimately everywhere defensively last night, and yet, he just was rendered null and void by Vincent here. That's a nutty shot regardless of who you are; east/west movement, late clock, pull-up going towards the sideline.
While it would be unreasonable to expect Gabe Vincent to replicate this performance for an entire series, the way he was able to play off of Butler and add in his own wrinkles to the offense as a shot-maker was vital in taking an early series lead.
It was an awesome game from a former undrafted player who continues to ratchet up his play and appears even closer to becoming a future starter in the NBA.
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The Heat won Game 1 of the East Finals behind a remarkable Jimmy Butler performance and Gabe Vincent's stellar play.

How Gabe Vincent helped Miami exacerbate pressure points in Game 1

Jimmy Butler scored 41 points, and the Miami Heat turned things around with a huge third quarter on the way to beating the short-handed Boston Celtics 118-107 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 18 and Gabe Vincent added 17 for the Heat, who outscored Boston 39-14 in the third quarter. Butler had 17 alone in the third, outscoring the Celtics by himself over those 12 minutes.
Max Strus scored 11 and Bam Adebayo added 10 for Miami.
Jayson Tatum scored 29 for the Celtics, who were without starters Marcus Smart (foot) and Al Horford (health and safety protocols). Jaylen Brown added 24 for Boston, which got 18 apiece from Robert Williams III and Payton Pritchard.
Game 2 is Thursday.
Boston led by 13 in the first half and took a 62-54 lead into halftime. Whatever Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said during intermission clearly worked.
A 22-2 run was how Miami started the second half, the run punctuated by steals that led to baskets on three consecutive possessions. Strus had one, the next two by Butler pushed the lead out to 76-64, and the Heat were off and running.
The lead reached 96-76 when Herro was fouled on a 3-point try and made all three free throws early in the fourth.
Boston had a run left; a 10-0 spurt cut the deficit in half, and a 3-pointer from Tatum made it a nine-point game &mdash; outcome still very much in doubt &mdash; with 7:35 left.
But the Heat had a response. PJ Tucker answered Tatum&rsquo;s 3 with one of his own. Brown then connected from deep to get Boston within single digits again, only to have that one answered by a 3 from Strus.
Some of the plans that both sides had for Game 1 were thrown away about 3 &frac12; hours before game time, when the Celtics revealed that Smart and Horford wouldn&rsquo;t be playing. Smart&rsquo;s absence was somewhat expected because of a mid-foot sprain he suffered in Game 7 of the East semifinals against Milwaukee on Sunday.
Horford&rsquo;s absence, however, was a surprise.
He entered the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols Tuesday afternoon, which ruled him out of Game 1 and quite possibly could keep him out for multiple games going forward. And it&rsquo;s not clear if any other Celtics could need testing.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m honestly unsure about that as of now,&rdquo; Celtics coach Ime Udoka said pregame.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Boston&rsquo;s biggest lead was 13 points. The Celtics are now 46-7 this season in games in which it led by at least that many. ... Boston scored 18 points of the first 6 &frac12; minutes of the first half, then two points in the first 6 &frac12; minutes of the second half. ... The Celtics trailed for only 16 seconds in the first two quarters. ... Boston has dropped 17 of its last 26 East finals games.
Heat: Former Miami guard Goran Dragic was in attendance. ... This series is the 50th in Heat postseason history. They&rsquo;re now 28-22 in Game 1s. ... Butler&rsquo;s 15th point &mdash; a free throw 16 seconds into the second half &mdash; gave him 14,000 for his career, including playoffs. He&rsquo;s the 220th NBA player to score that many. ... Miami missed its first seven shots. ... Tucker left in the second quarter to get his right ankle re-taped, then returned for the second half.
BLOCK PARTY
There were 20 blocked shots in the game &mdash; 12 by Miami, eight by Boston.
SECOND BEST (AND WORST)
The 25-point differential in the third quarter was the second-best for the Heat and the second-worst for the Celtics this season. Miami outscored Charlotte by 27 in the third quarter on Feb. 5. Boston was outscored by 28 points in the fourth quarter by Chicago on Nov. 1.
SLOW SECOND
Boston didn&rsquo;t have a field goal in the first six minutes of the second half &mdash; the slowest start to a half in any of the Celtics&rsquo; 94 games this season. The previous low for field goals made in the opening 6:00 of a half by the Celtics this season, including playoffs, was one in the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 7.

Jimmy Butler scored 41, and the Heat turned things around with a huge third quarter on the way to beating the shorthanded Celtics.

Butler scores 41, Heat take Game 1 from Celtics 118-107

The Eastern Conference field is set, as the Boston Celtics are set to take on the top-seeded Miami Heat for the second time in three years.&nbsp;
This series will have everything you want. Superstar power (Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler) and star power (Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Brown).&nbsp;Former All-Stars that can still give you moments &mdash; hello Al Horford, Victor Oladipo and, if healthy, Kyle Lowry.
It also includes fearless role players who can win you a game. For Boston, that's primarily Marcus Smart, Grant Williams and Robert Williams III. Miami has the Sixth Man of the Year in Tyler Herro, an unrelenting PJ Tucker, as well as a stable of undrafted guards in Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.
On the sidelines, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has been pressing buttons as well as anyone since the turn of the calendar year. Erik Spoelstra has had a strong argument as the NBA's best coach for nearly half a decade. That battle should be a pleasure, especially on the defensive end.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m not a coach &mdash; I'm just a pun-loving basketball fan with a hankering for film breakdowns. But instead of a traditional series preview, I decided to go into the basketball trenches and devise game plans for both teams. The tone of this two-part series will be a little more informal, but it will still be informative (at least I hope).
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Without further ado, here is what to look for in the East Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.
Miami's Defensive Matchups
Gabe Vincent &mdash;&gt; Marcus Smart
Jimmy Butler &mdash;&gt; Jaylen Brown
PJ Tucker &mdash;&gt; Jayson Tatum
Max Strus &mdash;&gt; Grant Williams
Bam Adebayo &mdash;&gt; Al Horford
Boston's Defensive Matchups
Jayson Tatum &mdash;&gt; Gabe Vincent
Marcus Smart &mdash;&gt; Max Strus
Jaylen Brown &mdash;&gt; Jimmy Butler&nbsp;
Al Horford &mdash;&gt; PJ Tucker
Grant Williams &mdash;&gt; Bam Adebayo
We saw these matchups in the most recent outing (March 30). I'd say it's a pretty safe bet this holds to start the series.
Boston's cross-matching intrigues me more than the inverse. Tatum taking Vincent allows him to roam a bit &mdash; unless/until Vincent bombs away from three. Putting Smart on Strus is a great way to take advantage of his screen navigation while eliminating Miami's opening script on offense. The Heat tend to open things up with movement sets to get Strus going early.&nbsp;
Keep an eye on the Williams-Adebayo matchup. Grant has taken on Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo in consecutive rounds, and has done so with success. His blend of mobility and strength could bother Adebayo, and those same traits can turn any pick-and-roll involving Adebayo into a switch.
The Battleground: Paint Touches
At their cores, the Heat and Celtics are switchy groups. In fact, they were&nbsp;the&nbsp;switchiest groups in the NBA &mdash; the Celtics ranked first in on-ball switches per 100 possessions (28.8), while the Heat ranked second (28.7), per Second Spectrum. It will be their primary method of flattening out each other's offenses, hoping to bring the game down into the mud.
With neither team playing drop coverage that often &mdash; the Heat and Celtics ranked 26th and 25th in drop rate, respectively &mdash; it'll be interesting to see who can create openings downhill.&nbsp;
If there's a difference between the two, it's Miami's willingness to dial up the pressure. They'll bust out a full-court press. They're not afraid to trap, particularly if there's only one star on the court. The help is&nbsp;aggressive. That leads to a ton of three-point attempts &mdash; the Heat ranked dead last in three-point rate allowed &mdash; but eighth in opponent rim rate.&nbsp;
The Celtics&nbsp;can&nbsp;do that stuff, but generally don't have to thanks to their collective size and screen navigation up top. They effectively cut off the rim (No. 2 in opponent rim rate) and&nbsp;they're able to force opponents into more mid-range shots. Only the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards allowed a larger share of mid-range shots than the Celtics this season.
Can the Heat find enough cracks to get into the paint and generate good looks from there? Can the Celtics hit enough threes &mdash; because they will be there &mdash; to loosen things up inside? We shall see.
Celtics' Team Stats (and Boston's stats vs. Miami)&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Offensive Rating: 113.6 (108.6)</li>
<li>True Shooting Percentage: 57.8% (56.7%)</li>
<li>Assist Percentage: 60.9% (60.9%)</li>
<li>Turnover Rate: 13.9% (12.2%)</li>
<li>Pace: 97.26 (96.33)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Attempts: 20.9 (23.3)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Percentage: 81.6% (74.3%)</li>
<li>Three-Point Attempts: 37.1 (40.0)</li>
<li>Three-Point Percentage: 35.6% (35.8%)</li>
<li>Offensive Rebounds: 9.8 (9.0)</li>
</ul>
Celtics' Play Type Breakdown
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-05-15-at-7-13-51-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="1113" height="242" />
Heat's Team Stats (and Miami's stats vs. Boston)
<ul>
<li>Offensive Rating: 113.0 (95.8)</li>
<li>True Shooting Percentage: 58.4% (51.0)</li>
<li>Assist Percentage: 64.4% (70.0%)</li>
<li>Turnover Rate: 14.9% (19.1%)</li>
<li>Pace: 96.53 (96.33)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Attempts: 21.4 (18.0)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Percentage: 80.8% (68.5%)</li>
<li>Three-Point Attempts: 35.8 (39.7)</li>
<li>Three-Point Percentage: 37.9% (32.8%)</li>
<li>Offensive Rebounds: 10.5 (9.3)</li>
</ul>
Heat's Play Type Breakdown&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-05-17-at-9-02-05-am_lg.png" alt="" width="1114" height="241" />
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: EARLY OFFENSE
Lowry's absence looms large for the Heat.&nbsp;
He was the catalyst for their elite transition attack. His touchdown outlet passes put pressure on opponents to get back immediately after possessions end. Early clock pull-up threes became a staple during his time in Toronto; much of that carried over in Miami. Lowry converted 48.0% of his transition threes, including a ridiculous 57.1% clip on pull-ups per Second Spectrum.
With him out for at least Game 1, I'd expect Miami to be even more selective with its pushing. Expect a heavy dose of early-clock dribble handoffs.
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The Celtics weren't a team that ran often either; they ranked 21st in transition frequency (14% of possessions), not too far behind the Heat's middling mark (14.5%) per Cleaning The Glass. The issue is they didn't come close to the Heat's efficiency when they did push. The Heat led the NBA in transition scoring (1.33 points per possession), while the Celtics were 26th (1.21 PPP).
Boston is more likely to feed one of its bigs early as part of the team's Delay series. In those, Horford (or Williams III) will receive the ball in the middle of the floor while the other Celtics screen for each other. This is a very pindown-heavy group.&nbsp;
The tell is when their center (Horford or Williams III) gets an early pass above the break and acts as a handoff hub. It can be as simple as a pair of pindowns &mdash; Tatum receiving one on a side, Brown getting one on the other &mdash; to stretch the defense thin.
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The Celtics can flow into Chicago action &mdash; a pindown into a handoff. It may be a single pindown from the wing to get one of the Jays an early shot or, if the three isn't there, to set up an empty-corner ball-screen.
It'll be important for the Heat to be locked in.
KEY QUESTIONS
1) Who will win the zone battle?
Not to rehash the top, but we know how both teams want to operate defensively. Switch just about any screen; keep the ball in front. Shade off of (perceived) non-shooters to help cut off driving lanes. Bring the game into the gutter.
Both teams have creation-plus-shooting combos that can bend things if they're clicking. The Celtics may be okay giving up mid-rangers, but that's typically where Butler wants to operate. The Heat may be okay trading rim attempts for threes, but how safe of a bet is that with Horford and Williams shooting a combined 21 of 47 (44.7%) on corner triples?
If either team catches a rhythm, the zone will be broken out.
(Quietly, the Heat weren't a good zone offense during the regular season [0.96 PPP, 19th] either.)
As beautiful as the Heat offense looks when they're screening and cutting all over the place, they have possessions where ill-timed cuts can make life easier for an opposing defense. That's exacerbated when teams go zone &mdash; you want to force a zone defender to choose between two players, so improper spacing allows the defense to muck things up without much work.
It's odd to watch the Heat go haywire in the middle of the floor. When a zone is run against their second unit, you feel the lack of playmaking with Dewayne Dedmon at the 5 in place of Adebayo. But with the starters, you sometimes get weird bouts of passiveness.&nbsp;
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That's a darn good counter to a 2-3 zone. Butler gets right into his comfort zone with minimal pressure and... kicks out of it? Huh?
On the flip side, this could be a real problem area for Boston though, a team that ranked 27th in zone offense (0.9 PPP) during the regular season per Synergy. And the Heat don't just&nbsp;go zone; they go to all kinds of zones.&nbsp;
A traditional 2-3, a 3-2, a 1-2-2. They'll go full-court press, then drop into a zone. There are exotic looks, and then there's the Miami Heat defense.
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Much like the Celtics had to quickly adapt to Milwaukee's physicality after their matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, there may be an adjustment period when the Heat throw out their zone. Per Second Spectrum, the Celtics have seen just five (5) zone possessions in the postseason. You might get that in the first six minutes of Game 1.
2) Who&nbsp;can&nbsp;beat drop coverage when they get it?
This can be somewhat of a Tatum question considering his struggles against the Bucks in Round 2. The numbers weren't great &mdash; the Celtics generated a shade under 0.9 PPP on trips where Tatum saw a drop &mdash; but the film was more key.
He'd often pass up more fruitful mid-range attempts, instead opting to string out ball-screens and isolate against a late switch. He's a good enough shot-maker to make that work, but it's a tough diet to live on. And against a team like Miami, I'm not sure how many pockets he can afford to pass up. I've written about his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-miami-heat-boston-celtics-eastern-conference-finals-playoffs-breakdown-preview-how-stop-defend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lack of a floater before</a>; per Synergy, he's converted just 2 of his 10 runners this postseason, and I'm not sure which number is more concerning.
But this is really a Heat question. Tyler Herro struggled against the Celtics when faced with drop coverage. Between Smart and Derrick White at the point of attack, Herro couldn't consistently shake free. And even when he did, Boston did a good job of providing help at the nail to at least make Herro uncomfortable.
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This is an obvious thing to say, but the Heat are going to need him to get going. Aside from (this version of) Butler, Herro's their best shot-creator in the half-court. He'll need to take pressure off Butler, and carry some of the load when he's heading the second unit.
Whenever Lowry is back, he'll need to channel the same aggression from the last meeting (23 points, 16 shot attempts, 12 threes) if the Celtics drop against him. Ditto for Vincent, whose jumper has quietly fallen off a cliff during the postseason.
3) Derrick White or Victor Oladipo?
At the risk of sounding reductive, these may be the true X-factors of the series.
Both players offer fiesty on-ball defense across multiple positions. Both can juice their offenses in the pick-and-roll, particularly with their downhill chops. And both will likely be ignored when they're stationed off the ball, adding a layer of difficulty for their teammates to generate efficient offense.&nbsp;
White hounded Herro when matched up against them, and found enough utility as a ball-mover for the Celtics to win his minutes +11 in 32 minutes during his lone outing vs. Miami).&nbsp;
Oladipo missed all of the regular-season meetings, but he'll likely see Boston's third-best defender when sharing the court with Miami's other creators. His rim pressure is valuable, but his three-point shooting (27.3% this postseason) can swing things.
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STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>Butler vs. Tatum is gonna be a freakin'&nbsp;battle&nbsp;in this series. Before either of these guys have an off night against an elite defense, let's commend them for the production they've shown in the playoffs so far. Studs. Superstars.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I touched on it some during the matchup section, but man do the Heat need an aggressive Bam Adebayo in this one. Horford and both Williams pose different issues than Daniel Theis did during the 2020 series. But, in theory, Adebayo should have a size, strength or quickness advantage against anybody he faces. He can't afford to short-circuit with the ball in his hands. His regular-season averages (14.0 points, 9.7 shot attempts) will not cut it.</li>
<li>This could be yet another Jaylen Brown series. He ripped the Heat during their three-game series (25/6/3, 47.8% from three on 7.7 attempts). And aside from a putrid Game 1 against the Bucks, he's been a metronome for Boston this postseason. If the Heat tilt too much attention to Tatum, Brown should have some cracks to attack.</li>
<li>With Williams III expected to proceed without a minutes restriction, I don't think Boston needs to trot Theis out there. Between Horford and the two Williams, they should have more than enough at the 5.</li>
<li>Speaking of 5s, I wonder how much of a leash Dedmon gets in this series. He hasn't given Miami much offensively &mdash; he's not nearly the same roll threat, and there's even been an uptick in illegal screens for him &mdash; but there's value in his rebounding. If this truly turns into a muck fest, extra possessions will be more valuable than usual.</li>
<li>On the bench guard front, let's see how much burn Payton Pritchard gets. He's arguably Boston's best (pull-up) shooter and zone-breaker. He's also going to have the largest target on his back defensively &mdash; especially if he's on the floor at the same time as Butler.</li>
<li>After an 18-perimeter-shot-attempt game from Williams &mdash; in a Game 7! &mdash; I wonder if the volume has gotten to the point where the scouting report officially changes with him. He's shot well from three all season long, but the volume was low enough for teams to feel comfortable helping off of him and daring him to beat them. Let's see if the Heat become the first team to really blink.</li>
<li>Sign me up for all of the defense in this series, man. This is what it's all about.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan breaks down what to look for in this year's Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Heat and Celtics.

NBA Scouting Report: What to look for in Heat-Celtics series

Fresh off their first title in 50 years, the Milwaukee Bucks entered the season with a few questions.&nbsp;
There were big-picture unknowns surrounding the main cast. What would Giannis Antetokounmpo look like after getting the proverbial monkey off his back? Was it time to stop questioning Mike Budenholzer, who eventually finally found enough schematic answers en route to a title?
(If the latest episode of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a> is any indication, the answer to the Budenholzer question is a resounding "No.")
And then, there was one bubbling underneath the surface: How would the Bucks replace PJ Tucker?
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Tucker was an integral part to the Bucks' title run. He brought value offensively as a screener, and, while his percentages were below his norm, he still made timely shots from the corners. He hummed around the dunker spot and gave Milwaukee extra possessions on the glass &mdash; ask the Atlanta Hawks how the "Hide Trae Young on Tucker" strategy worked for them.
More importantly, Tucker brought the goods defensively. His value was two-fold. Even at his age, he was able to slither over screens, slide with stars in space and hold his own when bigger players attempted to post him up. The star assignments were almost exclusively his to take. And because he took on those assignments, guys like Giannis and Middleton didn't have to.
Tucker wasn't and isn't as important as those two, but his departure to the Miami Heat &mdash; what a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pj-tucker-the-ultimate-roll-player-miami-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">season he's had</a> &mdash; left a bit of a void.
The Bucks added Semi Ojeleye over the summer in hopes he could provide similar impact. Maybe Thanasis Antetokounmpo, as the endless ball of energy he is, could be enough of an irritant in spurts.
Neither thing happened.
They eventually went back to the veteran well on Dec. 3, signing the well-traveled Wes Matthews to a deal. The thinking was clear: We need a guy who can defend tough matchups and hit enough shots on the other end to keep teams honest.
Fast forward to the postseason, and Matthews has done just that.&nbsp;
He's knocked down 44.1% of his threes on nearly 4 attempts this postseason. He's been a help-off-him point for defenses much like Tucker, but the two differ in their shot profiles. Over 80% of Tucker's threes came from the corners last postseason; only 41.2% of Matthews' triples have come in those pockets.
You can still stash him in the strong-side corner and dare teams to help off of him there. You can still space him in the weak-side corner, and have another player cut or set a pin-in screen to free him.
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But because Matthews is better at &mdash; and more willing to take &mdash; above-the-break threes, he's a little easier to move around the chessboard. He can also chill above the break, acting as the one-pass-away outlet on Giannis post-ups or isolations.
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Defensively, it's hard not to marvel at the job Matthews has done. This is a 35-year-old, who's suffered a torn Achilles in his career, graciously taking on assignments like DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Despite being at a size disadvantage and athleticism disadvantage, Matthews has been able to hold his own. He's proven to be a high-level screen navigator at his big age, able to fight through picks and reattach to a star's hip to bother him. Even when he's hung up on a screen, he doesn't die. He finishes possessions with rearview contests, or at the very least funnels his man into Milwaukee's forest in the paint.&nbsp;
A drop-coverage scheme doesn't work without someone like Matthews. Asking any big man, no matter how good he is, to deal with elite scorers in space is typically unfair. Matthews is able to make life easier for his bigs, much like their size acts as a buffer in the event that Matthews gets beat.
It's been fun watching Matthews have to problem-solve in the first two rounds. He got the DeRozan match-up in Round 1, which meant dealing with the All-Star's superb footwork and herky-jerky style. Nikola Vucevic is one of the NBA's best screeners, so dealing with them in tandem is tough work.
Matthews had to fight over screens and duck under screens when Chicago went to its Double Drag looks. He had to ICE screens &mdash; attempting to keep the action on the sideline &mdash; while also worrying about DeRozan snaking picks and getting into the mid-range area. He's built the whole boat on mid-range buckets, so slowing him down is a lot easier said than done.
Yet, Matthews did a darn good job. He faced 104 picks while defending DeRozan in pick-and-roll, per Second Spectrum. The Bulls generated 0.66 points per posssession (PPP) on those trips &mdash; well&nbsp;below their regular-season mark (1.04 PPP).
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The expectation has changed a bit during the second round. He's gone from the guile and patience of DeRozan, to the more sudden and explosive natures of Tatum and Brown. It's been mostly Tatum, whose lack of comfort in the mid-range is countered by his willingness to pull from deep, as well as his downhill aggression.
But again, Matthews has mostly held his own. Possessions featuring Matthews defending a Tatum-led ball-screen have only generated 0.77 PPP. This may shock you, but that number is also below Boston's regular-season norms (1.00 PPP).
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Overall, Matthews has defended 195 on-ball picks &mdash; the fifth-highest mark of the postseason. He's one of 21 players to defend at least 100 of them. Of those 21 players, only two &mdash; Marcus Smart (119, 0.72 PPP) and Jae Crowder (115, 0.75 PPP) have allowed fewer points per possession on direct plays than Matthews (0.85 PPP).&nbsp;
Matthews is knocking down open shots from all over the floor. He's taking on star wing assignments so Giannis doesn't have to. He's also holding his own with said assignments.
Naturally, the Bucks are having a good time with Matthews on the floor.
In 259 minutes with Matthews on the floor, the Bucks have <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612749&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;PlayerIds=202083" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outscored opponents</a> by 8.4 points per 100 possessions. The defense is 2 points stingier with Matthews on the floor; the offense is almost 4 points better, thanks to pretty big gap in three-point shooting (37.6% with Matthews on, 30.7% with Matthews off).
In summation: Matthews deserves his flowers.&nbsp;
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the two-way impact of Wes Matthews for the Bucks this postseason.

Wes Matthews' two-way play deserves your attention

Ever since Artūras Karni&scaron;ovas and Marc Eversley took over the Bulls&rsquo; front office two years ago, Chicago has been one of the most aggressive teams in the NBA. Their fingerprints are all over this roster, with notable acquisitions such as DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
These moves have translated to on-court success, as the Bulls posted their best winning percentage since the 2014-15 season and ended their four-year playoff drought. This year, Chicago was 46-36 &mdash; more wins than they had in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons combined. (Zach LaVine and Coby White are the only remaining players from that 2019-20 squad).
The Bulls entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference while boasting the NBA's 11th-ranked offense (scoring 111.0 points per 100 possessions) and 23rd-ranked defense (allowing 111.1 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
While this season marked a step in the right direction, the Bulls&rsquo; first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks showed that there&rsquo;s still plenty of work to be done. Despite Milwaukee losing their second-best player, Khris Middleton, to a sprained MCL in Game 2, the Bucks completed a gentleman's sweep against the Bulls. Chicago wasn&rsquo;t at full strength either, with Ball sidelined due to a knee injury and LaVine (COVID-19) and Caruso (concussion) each missing Game 5. Still, the reigning champions were a good litmus test.
Entering the offseason, where does Chicago go from here? Are big changes coming?
RE-SIGNING ZACH LAVINE
Entering this offseason, Chicago&rsquo;s top priority should be re-signing LaVine, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old has emerged as a perennial All-Star, earning a spot on the Eastern Conference squad in each of the last two seasons.&nbsp;
This year, LaVine averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 threes, while reducing his turnovers to 2.6 per game and shooting 47.6% from the field, 38.9% from three and 85.3% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
LaVine will certainly expect a maximum contract from the Bulls, which would <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pay him</a> $212.3 million over five years. The most he could receive from another team is $157.4 million over four years. This is a relatively weak free-agent class, so it seems very likely that LaVine will get a max deal from some team.&nbsp;
The Bulls would be wise to re-sign their star shooting guard, as replacing his production would be difficult, and the team would certainly take a step back if LaVine signed elsewhere.
"I plan to enjoy free agency," LaVine said recently. &ldquo;We're going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and [Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience."
LaVine was asked if the Bulls are the front-runners to sign him, but he wouldn&rsquo;t say.
"You guys have been a really, really soft spot in my heart," LaVine said to the Chicago media. "I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, to not just be viewed one way and be like, 'I'm automatically coming back,' or, 'I'm automatically leaving.'"
In multiple interviews, LaVine has reiterated that he wants to be paid what he feels he deserves.
"I just want my respect. I think that's the main thing," LaVine <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/zach-lavine-prepares-olympic-quarterfinal-bulls-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last August. "I outplayed my contract; I've been very loyal to Chicago, I like Chicago. I just want my respect."
FREE AGENCY
Aside from LaVine, the bulk of Chicago's core is under contract for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;
The Bulls have $103,181,950 in guaranteed salaries on the books for next season, spread across nine players: DeRozan, Vucevic, Lopez, Caruso, White, Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu and Marko Simonovic. Projections set next year&rsquo;s salary cap at $122 million and the luxury tax at $149 million.
Derrick Jones Jr.,Tristan Thompson and Matt Thomas will be unrestricted free agents. Tony Bradley has a player option worth $2,036,318, so he could opt out and test the market as well.
The team will have three restricted free agents (assuming Chicago extends a qualifying offer to each): Troy Brown Jr. ($7,228,448 QO), Tyler Cook ($1,576,305) and Malcolm Hill ($1,576,305).
Last year, the Bulls were very aggressive in free agency, making splashy moves left and right. Given their cap situation, it seems unlikely that Chicago will be able to go star hunting, but they&rsquo;ll likely try to improve their depth and add certain specialists. For example, Chicago could use a rim protector, as they averaged just 4.0 blocks per game (which ranked 27th in the NBA). Can they afford Mitchell Robinson? Could they throw an offer sheet at or sign-and-trade for a restricted free agent like Nic Claxton or Mo Bamba? Can they add a veteran like JaVale McGee or Hassan Whiteside?&nbsp;
In addition to a rim protector, it would make sense to add other defensive reinforcements as well (especially if Jones signs elsewhere). Caruso and Ball give Chicago a strong defensive backcourt, but they need some help if the Bulls want to improve their 23rd-ranked defensive rating (113.2). Some of the top defensive role players who are hitting the market include Bruce Brown, Gary Payton II and PJ Tucker. Lu Dort and Jae'Sean Tate each have a team option, but it seems unlikely that either will be available given their bargain contracts.
The Bulls will look to add a contributor or two using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is worth $10,349,000. Last offseason, that is how Chicago was able to sign Caruso to a four-year, $37 million deal, which ended up being a terrific addition. Other players who signed for the non-taxpayer MLE last offseason include McGee (Phoenix Suns), Tucker (Miami Heat), Reggie Bullock (Dallas Mavericks) and Khem Birch (Toronto Raptors).
It will be interesting to see what the Bulls do in free agency. However, keep in mind that some of Chicago&rsquo;s biggest additions in recent years were acquired through trades.
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TRADES
After watching the Bulls&rsquo; front office trade for Vucevic, DeRozan and Ball, fans are understandably thinking big when it comes to Chicago&rsquo;s trade targets entering the offseason.
Myles Turner has been mentioned as a possible target for the Bulls since he could solve their rim-protection issues, but the window on acquiring Turner may have slammed shut as a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/despite-trade-talks-the-pacers-want-to-keep-myles-turner-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report</a> suggested that the Indiana Pacers are now expected to keep the 26-year-old long-term.
Another dominant shot-blocker who may become available is Rudy Gobert. The Utah Jazz just had another season end in disappointing fashion, and there has already been a <a href="https://twitter.com/realOCsports/status/1521141215411941376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the Jazz will be forced to choose between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. If Utah opts to keep their young shooting guard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Defensive First-Team selection could suddenly be obtainable.
If that happens, the Bulls should at least reach out and start a conversation. Our Evan Sidery recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down potential destinations for Gobert</a> and listed Chicago as the top landing spot. Here&rsquo;s what he wrote:
Imagine the possibilities for Chicago with Gobert patrolling the paint with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso hawking the perimeter. It&rsquo;s the perfect complement to offensive dynamos Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago&rsquo;s new starting lineup of Ball, Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan and Gobert would seemingly have no holes in it from a two-way perspective. I absolutely love this idea for Chicago, and they should be blowing up the Jazz&rsquo;s phone this summer if it seems plausible.
Jazz receive: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Coby White, draft compensation Bulls receive: Rudy Gobert
It remains to be seen if either side would do this, but it&rsquo;s an intriguing idea.
With that said, if the Bulls are committed to Vucevic and don&rsquo;t want to trade for a new big man, HoopsHype&rsquo;s Yossi Gozlan <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">points out</a> that an extension for Vooch could make sense this offseason.
If that happens, perhaps Chicago just looks for a complementary shot-blocker who can play behind Vucevic like one of the free agents we mentioned above or more of a minor trade target such as New York&rsquo;s Nerlens Noel or Minnesota&rsquo;s Jarred Vanderbilt.
It&rsquo;s also worth noting that the Bulls have a $5,000,000 trade exception that expires on July 7, 2022, from their Daniel Theis deal.
DRAFT
The Bulls have the No. 18 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, our senior NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock has Chicago selecting Ohio State forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/ej-liddell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EJ Liddell</a>.&nbsp;
The 6-foot-7, 21-year-old junior is a well-rounded, NBA-ready player who makes sense for a Bulls team that wants to win now. Last season, Liddell averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 threes and 0.6 steals, while shooting 49.0% from the field, 37.4% from three and 76.5% from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;Although he is a bit undersized for the position, the Buckeyes often used Liddell as a 4 or 5 in their lineups,&rdquo; Babcock noted in his scouting breakdown. &ldquo;He is physical and versatile on both ends of the floor, scoring both inside and out. He appears more comfortable in the mid-range and paint, which works well for his college system but raises questions in regards to his translatability to the NBA. Liddell filled up the box score and played with great effort and toughness. He has certainly carved out a spot for himself in the 2022 NBA Draft.&rdquo;
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Other players who are projected to be available in that range are G League Ignite wing <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/marjon-beauchamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MarJon Beauchamp</a>, Baylor forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kendall-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Brown</a>, LSU forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/tari-eason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tari Eason</a>, Notre Dame guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/blake-wesley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Wesley</a>, G League Ignite guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/jaden-hardy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaden Hardy</a>, Serbian forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/nikola-jovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikola Jovic</a> and Tennessee guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kennedy-chandler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennedy Chandler</a>.&nbsp;
If the Bulls aren&rsquo;t interested in any of these prospects, or if Karni&scaron;ovas and Eversley continue to be aggressive on the trade market, Chicago could look to deal the No. 18 pick as part of a win-now move.
It&rsquo;s worth noting that Chicago must forfeit their next-available second-round pick after an NBA investigation revealed that they contacted Ball prior to the start of the NBA&rsquo;s free-agency period. As it stands, the Bulls&rsquo; next-available pick is the team&rsquo;s 2026 second-rounder, but Chicago can&rsquo;t acquire a second-round pick before then because they&rsquo;d have to forfeit it.
***
After a few rough years, the Bulls seem to be back on the right trajectory, and there&rsquo;s no question that this team has the talent to be a perennial playoff squad in the East. Winning 46 games despite trying to get so many new players acclimated is impressive, especially when you factor in the injuries to Ball, Caruso, Williams, etc.
Even if the Bulls bring back largely the same roster, they will benefit from that continuity and improved chemistry. However, given what we&rsquo;ve seen from this front office in recent years, don&rsquo;t be surprised if they look to wheel-and-deal in order to take the roster to the next level.

After winning 46 games and losing in the first round, where will the Bulls go from here? Alex Kennedy previews Chicago's summer.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Chicago Bulls?

It's hard to boil down four games to a single possession, but if you wanted to tell the story of the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks' series &mdash; one in which the Heat are a win away from a gentleman's sweep &mdash; look no further than a late-second ]-quarter stretch from Game 4.
It starts with PJ Tucker picking up Trae Young from the inbound. Clint Capela steps up to set a screen from the logo &mdash; generally a good thing during the Young Era, but in this case, it simply brings Bam Adebayo into the frame.&nbsp;
Young doesn't want that &mdash; Adebayo has switched onto him 16 times in this series; Young has passed out of the matchup 11 times per Second Spectrum. Naturally, Trae calls for another screen to loosen things up.
But this one brings Jimmy Butler into the mix.
Young attempts to attack Butler, but doesn't have much success. Not only does Butler do a great job of bodying him up, Adebayo is chilling at the nail, ready to pounce if the handle gets loose.
With Adebayo dropping down to the nail, the kick-out to Bogdan Bogdanovic is technically there. Young kicks it to Bogdanovic, but Adebayo recovers and stifles his&nbsp;drive. Similar to the help he provided to Butler, Max Strus does the same. Bogdanovic then kicks it to Kevin Huerter with the shot clock winding down. Forced to make lemonade out of lemons, he drives against Strus.
But Tucker is there to help. And Butler's there to help behind Tucker, capping the possession with a steal.
If that was exhausting to read, imagine being tasked with generating good offense against that kind of pressure. Just look at this, man.
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Young hasn't been having a good time in this series. He's averaging 16.5 points on 48.8% True Shooting. He has as many assists (24) as he does turnovers. A 21.2% clip from three is well below his level, and that's exacerbated by the fact that he's attempted more threes (33) than two-pointers (24).
It's hard to overstate just how much the Heat have thrown Young out of rhythm. One of the deadliest pick-and-roll threats in the league has been neutralized through four contests.&nbsp;
The Hawks are generating a shade under 0.93 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Young pick-and-roll, per Second Spectrum. This may shock you, but this, too, is well below Young's regular season mark (1.06 PPP).
Young's Game 4 was even worse. His overall stat line was bad enough: 9 points (3 of 10 from three, 0 of 1 from two), 5 assists, and 5 turnovers in 35 minutes.&nbsp;
When <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5QpqLSz4_Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked about his three-heavy diet</a> in Game 4, Young gave props to the Heat's pressure and activity.&nbsp;
"If you're watching the game, you'll see that they have five people in the paint when I have the ball," Young stated.&nbsp;
"They're doing a great job of showing help and not letting me get into the paint. If I try to drive by somebody, they're sending a double and forcing me to kick it to my teammates."
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Look strictly at the pick-and-roll possessions, and things get murkier.
I promise this isn't a typo &mdash; the Hawks mustered 0.43 PPP on Young-led ball screens in Game 4. That's the worst mark of the series for Young, the worst mark of the season for Young and the worst mark since Young's rookie campaign in 2018.
Considering the stakes, the experience and the talent around him (much more than his rookie season), you could reasonably argue that Game 4 was the worst pick-and-roll game of Young's NBA career.
Miami's switching took away early gaps, as it has been all series long. Of the 246 picks Young has received this series, the Heat have switched 97 of them (39.4%). Even beyond the switching, Young has seen a revolving door of point-of-attack defenders. Seven different players have defended Young for at least 15 possessions in the series, per <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629027/head-to-head?SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;Matchup=Offense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com tracking data</a>.&nbsp;
The Heat's help made it nearly impossible to get into the paint. And when forcing kick-outs, Young's teammates failed to deliver; the Hawks' "others" shot just <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629027/passes-dash?DateFrom=04/24/2022&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=FGA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">42.9% off of Young passes</a> in Game 4. It was a hodgepodge of factors that led to an 86-point outing for Atlanta.
Even Young has been a bit surprised by what he's seen so far.&nbsp;
"I haven't been guarded like this... consistently since high school, and obviously it's a lot better competition," Young said. "It's hard for me to score a lot through the double-teams and face-guards at this level. It's a challenge for me... I gotta learn to fight through it and make it easier for myself and my teammates."
Answers will need to come soon, or this series will likely end on Tuesday.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the way Miami's defense has flustered Trae Young.

Explain one play: How the Heat are stifling Trae Young

The Utah Jazz didn't have a good time on Monday night.&nbsp;
Things turned late in Game 2, with the Dallas Mavericks notching a win behind a 33-23 fourth quarter. The Mavericks posted a 157.1 Offensive Rating in the quarter &mdash; yes, you read that right &mdash; and a slightly-worse-but-still-absurd 144.4 ORTG during clutch time
That's a 12-minute and 5-minute sample size respectively, but the number matched the eye. It was a bit perplexing to watch the Luka-less Mavs carve up the Jazz to this degree. The breakdowns were constant, and the Mavs shot well enough to slam the door shut.&nbsp;
And it's not like this was a back-and-forth affair down the stretch; Utah's offense pretty much died (85.7 ORTG during clutch time) behind a bunch of one-pass, one-shot possessions. It was pretty bad, y'all.
In light of #discourse starting about Utah's problems on both ends, I'm here to state the obvious.
It's everyone's fault right now.
There is not a single player responsible for Utah's woes on either end. It's not just one side of the ball. There's plenty to be cleaned up; the last four-ish minutes of Game 2 is all the proof you need.&nbsp;
Let's take a look at the film in the fourth quarter.
4:30 REMAINING: THE PAIN OF REJECTION
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You have to give Jalen Brunson credit for doing his homework early. Brunson spinning away from Danuel House Jr. as he attempts to face-guard him sets everything in motion. After receiving the pass from Maxi Kleber, Brunson rejects the screen and drives left.
Rudy Gobert drops down to pick up the drive, though House is still trying to get reattached to Brunson. A late switch would've been a better in-the-moment read from House, but the scheme is the scheme. If they're in ICE coverage, Gobert is tasked with containing until House can get back.
(It is worth noting, though, that Gobert lets House&nbsp;have it after the basket. I'd assume he was upset with him getting burned on the reject and not executing a switch after getting burned.)
Beyond those two, the rotation from Bojan Bogdanovic stands out. Brunson has drawn two defenders &mdash; why the heck is he so late rotating over to Kleber?
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Bogdanovic stares the sucker down, but doesn't start moving towards Brunson until the pass is halfway there. It would be one thing if he was hugged up with Reggie Bullock; he had the Dorian Finney-Smith matchup.&nbsp;
4:10 REMAINING: FORCING THE ISSUE&nbsp;
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One screen, one shot. Donovan Mitchell receives a screen from Royce O'Neale to draw the Spencer Dinwiddie matchup. He gains a little leverage on the spin, but Dinwiddie recovers and challenges the shot well. There was a little bit of contact, but it's telling that Mitchell got right up and retreated on defense instead of arguing about a missed call.
4:00 REMAINING: POOR CONTAINMENT
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Whew, Donovan.
Mitchell sought Dinwiddie on one end, and Dinwiddie returned the favor (with no screen) on the other. Mitchell gets dusted, prompting Gobert to help down from the weak-side corner. That's objectively a fine decision &mdash; one that wouldn't be needed if Mitchell held up, but a fine decision nonetheless.
The issue, again, is Bogdanovic losing the plot as a helper.
He has Bullock this time, but is tasked with splitting the difference (zoning up between two players) after Gobert drops down. I won't call it gospel, but I'd say it's pretty common for the zoning defender to take away the corner pass first.
Dinwiddie deserves credit for both knowing that and using that knowledge to his advantage. He freezes Bogdanovic with his eyes, staring down Bullock before making the kick to Kleber.&nbsp;
3:18 REMAINING: MITCHELL BEAT AGAIN
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Following a tough turnaround jumper from Bogdanovic to pull things within two (a one-pass possession), Dinwiddie calls for a screen to draw the Mitchell matchup again. Dinwiddie wins the battle with a spin and finish, fading to his right.&nbsp;
2:35 REMAINING: STRONG-SIDE HELP
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After Bogdanovic gets another&nbsp;tough turnaround jumper to go, the Jazz find themselves pressing. House picks up Brunson full-court, but he's quickly erased by a screen from Bullock.
Mitchell has to pick up Brunson and... well, he gets beat off the bounce again. Gobert then helps down from the strong-side corner &mdash; generally a no-no on defense &mdash; and leaves Finney-Smith open in the process.
If help was going to come, it would've needed to come from O'Neale (what kind of dig was that???) or Bogdanovic. Neither did anything of substance in the possession.
2:15 REMAINING: HUNTING DINWIDDIE
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Mitchell once again calls for a screen to bring Dinwiddie into the action. The Mavs give up the switch, but then spring a double on Mitchell to force the ball out of his hands&nbsp;and&nbsp;scram Dinwiddie out of the matchup.&nbsp;
Mitchell promptly swings it to Bogdanovic, who calls for a screen in an attempt to attack Dinwiddie. The attack fails, so Bogdanovic flips it back to Mitchell. He tries attacking Finney-Smith off the bounce, and it goes about how you would expect.
Towards the end of the drive, you'll notice Gobert exchanging sides. He ends up sealing off Brunson, but there's no real angle for a pass with Kleber sitting in the paint. There was also a potential outlet pass to a drifting Bogdanovic if Mitchell didn't like what he saw &mdash; though that would've put Bogdanovic in a tough spot to create late in the clock.
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You'd think Gobert would either try to gain inside positioning on Kleber, or set a pin-in screen on Brunson to potentially set up a kick to the corner. But that effectively seals the game, because we got another one-pass possession&nbsp;after the dead ball.&nbsp;
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It's a pretty decent action to spring Bogdanovic free, but Finney-Smith helps off of Mitchell on the catch. There was 6 seconds on the shot clock when the jumper was fired, so there was technically room to kick the ball out for Mitchell for a better shot. That's probably too much Monday morning quarterbacking to tap into though.&nbsp;
The larger point is that the Jazz shouldn't have been that late in the clock to begin with.&nbsp;
Zooming out, the Jazz did a poor job of forcing the Mavericks into tough positions. On the other end, the Jazz once again failed to contain the ball, which not only forced help, but also exposed how shoddy their rotations behind the help can be.
We got Bad Mitchell, Bad Gobert, Bad Bogdanovic. Bad House. Mike Conley is probably the only guy who didn't make a mistake, but his presence wasn't felt near the end of the game either.
The series is shifting to Utah now, but the return of Luka Doncic looms pretty large. The Jazz better get it together, or the blame game is quickly going to shift into (even more) trade talk.
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There is not a single player responsible for Utah's woes on either end. Instead, everyone is to blame, writes Nekias Duncan

It's everybody's fault: Dissecting the Jazz's woeful end to Game 2

For a third of the NBA, summer break comes early.&nbsp;
Though 10 teams didn't make the playoffs, it's not all doom and gloom. Several NBA bottom-feeders took tangible steps forward in their rebuilding efforts, while others &mdash; well, they're not supposed to be here.
Every franchise enters the offseason with summer plans. As teams get eliminated from the postseason, I'll be rounding up every team's offseason outlook and posing one question they must answer over the summer. You'll see each squad's 2022 NBA Draft chest, plus their potential free agents, along with the central question.&nbsp;
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Let's get started!
DETROIT PISTONS 
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick (via Brooklyn)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Marvin Bagley III (restricted), Cory Joseph (player option), Hamidou Diallo (team option), Frank Jackson (team option), Luka Garza (team option), Carsen Edwards (team option), Rodney McGruder 
Central question: How do the Pistons build an offense around Cade Cunningham?
This was a pretty solid season for Detroit as far as rebuilding efforts go. Cade Cunningham emerged as a Rookie of the Year front-runner and two-way centerpiece who has fans ecstatic about his ceiling. The Pistons finished a solid 10-14 after the All-Star break, and have shown flashes of an improving defense. They did still finish with the 28th-ranked offense, per Cleaning the Glass, and one of the worst shooting rates in the NBA.
Cunningham had to carry a ridiculous offensive load in the latter stages of the season. Detroit has the power to change that in 2022-23, starting with its high draft pick. Maybe Jabari Smith's lights-out scoring means he's an ideal secondary option? Perhaps Paolo Banchero thrives as an additional creator, or maybe Chet Holmgren makes sense as a finisher and spot-up threat? The fun part about Cunningham is that his versatility creates so many pathways for the Pistons in the draft &mdash; whether or not the ping pong balls fall their way.
Detroit wields a cap hold of approximately $28 million on Bagley, and once that lifts (either via a new contract or letting him walk), the Pistons should have a solid chunk of cap space to add to the supporting cast.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), better of Brooklyn/Miami first-round picks
Potential free agents: John Wall (player option), Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando (restricted), Jae'Sean Tate (team option), Anthony Lamb (qualifying offer), Trevelin Queen (qualifying offer)
Central question: How patient is the front office willing to be?
Houston's 2021 draft strategy of "draft talent, figure out the fit later" appears to be working out. Jalen Green demonstrated an Anthony Edwards-esque leap post-All-Star break, Alperen Sengun is already one of the NBA's best passing bigs, and guys like Josh Christopher and KJ Martin routinely hinted at upside. Houston gets another prime shot at a franchise cornerstone this draft cycle. We're approaching Stage 2 of the strategy, though: figuring out how the pieces fit.&nbsp;
The Rockets were one of two NBA teams with bottom-five ratings on offense and defense. They led the league in rim frequency and were fourth in three-point frequency, but posted mediocre shooting clips. Houston evokes memories of the rebuilding Nets, who played a similarly extreme brand of ball for a few years as the team slowly reshaped into a fun playoff squad. Does the front office have the foresight to let head coach Stephen Silas work things out with his roster of young guns?&nbsp;
INDIANA PACERS
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How is there a &ldquo;rebuild&rdquo; to afraid of if it isn&rsquo;t a rebuild? <a href="https://t.co/0pDD7E6Mss">pic.twitter.com/0pDD7E6Mss</a>
&mdash; Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1512127632758001664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (10.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick (if 15-30, via Cleveland), Second-round pick (via Houston), Second-round pick (via Phoenix)
Potential free agents: Ricky Rubio, T.J. Warren, Jalen Smith, Lance Stephenson, Nate Hinton (restricted), Oshae Brissett (team option)
Central question: How extreme is the incoming rebuild, and what veterans mesh with the future vision?
Notably unlisted among the potential free agents are Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and T.J. McConnell. All range from solid starters to rotational complements, and 3 of the 4 (not Turner) will be 30 next season. The Pacers are clearly retooling, as evidenced by their trade-deadline fireworks and Tyrese Haliburton's subsequent high usage. They also have publicly flip-flopped regarding the direction of the team; see the above Tweet.
Indiana doesn't have the pure depth of talent to straddle the line. The Pacers can trade many of these talented players and build up a chest of draft picks and young pieces, or they can charge ahead, turn their picks into win-now players and hope Haliburton is ready for the playoff push. But a middle ground doesn't exist in an Eastern Conference where just about every team has solidified its direction.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Draft assets: None
Potential free agents: Russell Westbrook (player option), Kendrick Nunn (player option), Austin Reaves (team option), Stanley Johnson (team option), Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, D.J. Augustin, Wenyen Gabriel, Mason Jones (restricted)
Central question: What does team-building around two injury-prone superstars look like?
LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-i-dont-have-a-cap-on-how-long-i-want-to-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turns 38 next season</a>, and has played 60-plus games just once in the past four seasons. Anthony Davis has now missed more than half the season in back-to-back years. Sure, the Lakers were a mess regardless of their stars' health, but going forward, is pursuing fits next to James and Davis even worthwhile if the two won't consistently be on the court?
With just three players under contract (the aforementioned stars, plus Talen Horton-Tucker), the Lakers enter another offseason of a roster overhaul. This time, I'd recommend almost entirely forgetting about James and Davis when building the squad and simply try to assemble units that make sense together.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, could change based on Play-In results), Second-round pick via Boston and Charlotte (if 56-60)
Potential free agents: Mitchell Robinson, Ryan Arcidiacono 
Central question: What's going to happen with the veterans?
The top six moneymakers for the Knicks next season are all 27 or older, and I think many fans would say that out of the group, only Julius Randle should have started &mdash; and he seriously regressed this season. The young Knicks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-young-knicks-playing-chess" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clearly showed they're ready to take the mantle</a>.
So what happens with Randle, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker? Is Tom Thibodeau prepared to reduce their (their meaning Burks specifically in this case) minutes and usage, will trades be coming, or will Madison Square Garden burn when Immanuel Quickley opens the season by playing 16 minutes off the bench? New York has drafted extremely well in recent seasons, but the ceiling of the young core is capped if these youngsters don't get a chance to prove themselves in meaningful situations.
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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 
Draft assets: First-round pick (12.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via Clippers, First-round pick via Phoenix, Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Derrick Favors (player option), Mike Muscala (team option), Lu Dort (team option), Isaiah Roby (team option), Melvin Frazier (restricted)
Central question: What is the pathway in the frontcourt?
I've stanned Sam Presti's team-building strategy for years now, and I still think it's on track for a serious payoff. Josh Giddey slots in somewhere on your All-Rookie ballot, and draft classmates Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins flashed rotation-caliber play as well. It is simply a joy to watch a random young player have a breakout game on any given night, and OKC has already shown the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early stages of a prominent defense</a>.
Next up: Capitalize on a draft loaded with intruiging frontcourt players. Banchero, Holmgren and Smith are obviously the best of the best. But even if the Thunder slide in the lottery, they could pounce on an athletic shot-blocker like Jalen Duren, or use one of their later picks on a center like Mark Williams. I'm just spit-balling, but the point is that OKC has plenty of chances to find its big-man anchor and further flesh out its core.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Indiana
Potential free agents: Gary Harris, Robin Lopez, Bol Bol (restricted), Ignas Brazdeikis (restricted), Admiral Schofield (restricted)
Central question: How do the offensive pieces fit together?
Orlando quietly logged a 17th-ranked defense this season, and an 11th-ranked unit since Feb. 1. A dismal offense ultimately doomed the Magic, who were riddled with inconsistent shotmaking and poor team efficiency marks throughout the half-court. We don't need to sound any player alarms; it takes time for young guards in particular to grasp the responsibilities of running NBA offenses.&nbsp;
But what if I told you Orlando has wielded bottom-10 offensive ratings every season for the last decade?&nbsp;
Change can start in the draft, again with some of the top offensive forward options like Banchero or Smith. Adding another ball-dominant guard in Jaden Ivey might be overkill, but AJ Griffin and Bennedict Mathurin feel like good wing fits at first glance. Spotrac estimates the Magic could have up to $30 million in practical cap space, leaving plenty of room for veteran players to accentuate the young talent.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
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THE D IN DREW STANDS FOR DUNK DO NOT GOOGLE THIS <a href="https://t.co/2AojdAskYV">pic.twitter.com/2AojdAskYV</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1508636734900166659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (9.0% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via New Orleans (if 5-14), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Memphis
Potential free agents: Joe Ingles, Jusuf Nurkic, Ben McLemore, Anfernee Simons (restricted), CJ Elleby (restricted), Elijah Hughes (restricted), Keljin Blevins (restricted)
Central question: Is Portland actually trying to win "now" or win soon?
Some really great development happened for the Blazers during the "wash" portion of the season in the form of players like Trendon Watford, Keon Johnson and Drew Eubanks. Add them to Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and the incomng draft picks, and Portland suddenly has... kind of a sneaky-deep prospect pool? There's real potential to mold this group into a rotation cast that gives Portland one of its deepest rosters in years.
That's why these <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jerami-grant-trade-rumors-portland-is-still-the-frontrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant trade rumors concern me</a>. Giving up a possible lottery pick to try and piece together a short-term playoff team risks too much and keeps the Trail Blazers in the limbo they have lounged in for several years. Understandably, the franchise wants to build a contender while Damian Lillard is invested and in his prime. With some patience, Portland can without sacrificing sustainibility.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Draft assets: First-round pick (7.5% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick (via Chicago)
Potential free agents: Jeremy Lamb, Josh Jackson, Damian Jones, Donte DiVincenzo (restricted), Neemias Queta (restricted), Trey Lyles (team option)
Central question: How does Sacramento turn into a competitive NBA defense?
The Kings have trotted out lackluster defenses for as long as I can remember. In fact, they haven't ranked above 20th in Defensive Rating since 2005-06 &mdash; notably, the last time they made the playoffs.
And that didn't change under interim head coach Alvin Gentry. (Gentry will not return as head coach next season, but is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-alvin-gentry-no-longer-interim-coach-of-the-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in talks for a front-office role</a>, per ESPN.) However, the on-paper roster actually shines some hope. Davion Mitchell made highlight reels out of his "Off-Night" defense. Justin Holiday is a solid individual defender, as is Harrison Barnes, and even De'Aaron Fox has his sporadic moments.&nbsp;
Can Sacramento find a head coach who turns a group of intriguing players with defensive potential into even an average squad? What draft and free agency options exist? Of course, the Kings would like to end their NBA-leading playoff drought. That'll come with changing the culture on defense.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, depends on Play-In results), Second-round pick (via Dallas)
Potential free agents: Bradley Beal (player option), Thomas Bryant, Raul Neto, Tomas Satoransky, Anthony Gill (restricted), Cassius Winston (restricted)
Central question: What style of guard play is a feasible best fit?
Okay, so obviously the biggest question mark surrounds Bradley Beal's free agency. But from a conceptual standpoint, Washington has tried and failed over the past few seasons to find Beal's best-fitting partner in crime. John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Spencer Dinwiddie were each supposed to provide the downhill juice Beal lacks. The Wizards either did this at serious expense of another skill area (Wall, Westbrook), or it just didn't translate their at-rim ability (Dinwiddie). All battled injuries as well.
"I think we need bigger guards," <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/bradley-beal-outlines-what-wizards-need-build-contender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beal said in March</a>. "We need more guys that can get in the paint for us, more ball-handlers, more guys that can really create and get two feet in the paint, but also who can knock down threes."
I mean, Beal's needs make total sense. The problem is that every other basketball team on Earth also wants this type of guard.
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Ethan Fuller sets the offseason stage for each team that missed the NBA playoffs.

Summer plans for the NBA's 10 non-playoff teams

There wasn&rsquo;t exactly a consensus about how the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; season would end, but it&rsquo;s probably safe to say that nobody foresaw this.
On Tuesday night, the Lakers saw their bleak playoff hopes reduced to zero when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets, and immediately thereafter &mdash; and rightfully so &mdash; Frank Vogel, Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were all in the news.
In the end, there&rsquo;s no single reason the Lakers turned in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history &mdash; there&rsquo;s enough blame to go around.
What Rob Pelinka needs to figure out is how to fix it.
The answer, ironically, would probably be to start thinking small.
This past season, the team managed to find some serviceable pieces to augment the star-studded core, but only Davis, James, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves are under contract next season. The Lakers hold a team option on Stanley Johnson and Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn both have player options they are likely to pick up.
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The official 2021-22 Kendrick Nunn highlight reel 🎥 <a href="https://t.co/wDPehJyqpN">pic.twitter.com/wDPehJyqpN</a>
&mdash; Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersLead/status/1508967570560458762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Combined &mdash; thanks in large part to the commitments to Westbrook, James and Davis &mdash; the Lakers are in line to have about $148 million on their 2022-23 ledger, which is already about $26 million over the projected salary cap.
Said differently, outside of offloading one of Westbrook, James or Davis without taking much salary back in return, the team wouldn&rsquo;t be able to manufacture enough cap space to have a competent opportunity of improving via free agency. Obviously, the club could go the route it went this past season and hand out one-year, minimum salary contracts to aging veterans, but the players who could actually make a difference for the Lakers won&rsquo;t exactly be lining up to sign on the dotted line given the performance of this year&rsquo;s team.
To make matters even worse, the Lakers don&rsquo;t own a pick in this year&rsquo;s draft. Their first rounder was sent to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade, while their second-round pick is owned by the Spurs.
So how does a team with no cap space and no draft picks improve?
Simple: by thinking small.
Ask the Brooklyn Nets, and look toward the Miami Heat.
A historically frugal franchise, Miami has never necessarily found itself in the kind of salary cap hell the Lakers are in at the moment. Part of the reason why is because one of the constants during Pat Riley&rsquo;s tenure has been investing heavily in scouting and player development. The same rings true of most successful small market franchises.
Players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis may win you the championship, but throughout history, it&rsquo;s always been players like Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who get you there in the first place.
Contenders invariably unearth valuable and sometimes unknown role players and maximize those role players' talent. For example, this year's Miami team has enjoyed the combination of Tyler Herro, Max Strus and Omer Yurtseven combining to earn only about $7 million. That's about $3 million less than Talen Horton-Tucker alone. Strus and Yurtseven are far from household names, but Miami wouldn&rsquo;t be entering play on April 6 as the first seed out East without them, especially considering the injuries the team has dealt with this season.
Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn also go on a list that features the likes of Bam Adebayo, Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem as players drafted and developed by the staff in Miami.
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Some time ago, the Lakers had what looked like a competent core of young players. It&rsquo;s hard to imagine that just four years ago, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson were all teammates in Los Angeles. They&rsquo;ve all come and gone, most to facilitate the arrivals of LeBron, Davis and then Westbrook.
The Lakers do have a championship to show for that roster churn, but from this point forth, the way out might actually be to go back to the drawing board. Sean Marks and his Brooklyn Nets, another franchise that Lakers VP of Operations Rob Pelinka would be wise to mimic this summer, provide a blueprint for how to go about doing that.
When Marks took over the Nets in 2016, Brooklyn was not in a good place. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry had all come and gone, and the draft picks that became Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Collin Sexton were living their best lives elsewhere. The Nets had a bloated payroll, a team of scrubs and no future.
The NBA's Chicago Draft Combine was only two months after Marks was hired in Brooklyn, and despite not owning a first-round pick, he sent quite a contingent to the Windy City. Their directive was to do as much recon work as possible to find Marks some players who could help. Marks used Thaddeus Young to trade his way into the first round and came away from the draft with Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead. Within the next six months, he signed two diamonds in the rough, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie.
One season later, Marks drafted Jarrett Allen and landed D&rsquo;Angelo Russell in a trade with the Lakers, and that was essentially the core that both got Brooklyn back on track and ultimately landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
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Highlights Kyrie Irving &amp; Kevin Durant 🆚 Sixers<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBATwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBATwitter</a> <a href="https://t.co/viw7ZzQQIZ">pic.twitter.com/viw7ZzQQIZ</a>
&mdash; Back2Back (@B2BFR) <a href="https://twitter.com/B2BFR/status/1502186067541307394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Obviously, that all took time to come to fruition, and time isn't something that LeBron James has. But the point is that no matter how daunting the situation, a competent NBA front office can build a team without having the most obvious assets readily available. That the Lakers have two superstars should actually make the task a bit less difficult.
In this league, there are generally two types of teams: those who rely on free agency and trades to build their contender, and those who build their programs organically, most often through the draft. Big-market teams tend to be the former, while small market teams usually go the other route.
If either Marks or Riley were put in charge of the Lakers&rsquo; front office, they would probably trade Horton-Tucker for draft capital after realizing he&rsquo;s not the right fit there. They&rsquo;d engage the Pelicans, Blazers, Thunder, Rockets, Pacers and Grizzlies &mdash; teams who may have multiple first-round picks &mdash; and find a way to come away from the draft with a young piece and at least one more promising player from the summer circuit. Only then would they go knocking on the doors of guys like Tristan Thompson, Semi Ojeleye and Victor Oladipo, all of whom could help and potentially be had for cheap.
By the time the 2022-23 season tips off, the team could be remade. Some names we&rsquo;d know, and many we wouldn&rsquo;t. But as we&rsquo;ve seen before, often, it&rsquo;s the names we don&rsquo;t know who end up making the biggest difference. Alex Caruso, anyone?&nbsp;
Neither DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield nor Kyle Lowry will be coming to save the day; Pelinka and James got themselves into their current mess, and they&rsquo;ll have to get themselves out.
With their season ending much sooner than anyone could have imagined, the Lakers will have plenty to address over their long summer.
But, at least in the NBA, small steps can lead to major strides.
With few options, the Lakers should be so wise.
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With the Los Angeles Lakers out of playoff contention, they must now focus on rebuilding like a small-market team.

Only fix for LeBron’s Lakers is to operate like a small-market team

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 17 rebounds as the Utah Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak with a 122-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
&ldquo;It was huge to get a win,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;The negativity and the losses and all that pressure was more external, but it was not an ideal time to have a five-game losing streak. So it&rsquo;s nice to celebrate this one tonight.&rdquo;
Jordan Clarkson scored 19 points, Mike Conley added 18 and Bojan Bogdanovic 11 in his return from injury as the Jazz continued their fight to stay out of a Western Conference play-in game.
Utah led wire-to-wire, the fourth game of the season in which it never trailed. But, the Lakers stayed within striking distance until Gobert slammed down Mitchell&rsquo;s miss to make it 120-104 with 2:54 to play.
&ldquo;We were finding guys, making the right reads, getting switches, being able to break down the defense, get in the paint and make the extra pass,&rdquo; Mitchell said of the Jazz offense returning to its efficient ways with 51 percent shooting and only eight turnovers.
Russell Westbrook scored 24 points and Dwight Howard had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who were without LeBron James (ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (foot sprain). Howard even hit a step-back 3-pointer as he reached double figures for the second time in his last 12 games.
&ldquo;I know how important these games are down the stretch. I just wanted to get my body and my mind prepared for tonight. Felt really good out there. Just a little bit hurt about not winning the game,&rdquo; Howard said.
Lakers have dropped five of six and are 4-14 since beating the Jazz on Feb. 16. They played their 37th different starting lineup against Utah.
&ldquo;For me, personally, it&rsquo;s a big adjustment. You don&rsquo;t know who&rsquo;s playing and who&rsquo;s out. Who&rsquo;s starting and who&rsquo;s not. Something I&rsquo;m not accustomed to. But like I said, I make no excuses. I own whatever it is, play whoever is playing and try to make the best out of it,&rdquo; Westbrook said.
Utah&rsquo;s losing streak included a demoralizing defeat in which it blew a 25-point lead against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. The Jazz have lost 14 games this season in which they held double-digit leads.
When the Lakers closed to 113-103 on Talen Horton-Tucker&rsquo;s 3-pointer, an audible nervous buzz grew among the Jazz faithful as they anticipated another collapse. But, the Lakers couldn&rsquo;t consistently get enough stops to make it interesting.
&ldquo;I really like the way we were able to re-focus together and reconnect. We did a good job closing &hellip; and that&rsquo;s big for us,&rdquo; Gobert said.
Both teams have been weighed down by disappointing losses and unrealized expectations. Some of the dropoff has been due to injuries, as James has missed three of the Lakers&rsquo; last four games and Davis has been out for 18 games.
Utah&rsquo;s losing ways have corresponded with Bogdanovic&rsquo;s nine-game absence with a calf strain and House&rsquo;s knee bruise.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to have them back, just having that presence on the court &hellip; for spacing. You know guys have to think twice when they decide to help on the roll or drives and it opens the floor,&rdquo; Gobert said.
Hassan Whiteside has also been out with a foot sprain during three games of the skid and missed the Lakers game.
The Jazz were able to get into transition and outscored Los Angeles 14-2 on fast breaks. Not only did the Jazz stymie the Lakers on the move, they took away the perimeter shots as Los Angeles made just seven 3-pointers.
The Jazz are 28-11 on the season when they have their starting lineup of Conley, Mitchell, Bogdanovic, Royce O&rsquo;Neale and Gobert.
REFRAIN FROM POINTING FINGERS
When the losses were piling up and it didn&rsquo;t look like they were enjoying playing together, Mitchell knew they had to block the outside noise.
&ldquo;The biggest thing was just being able to stay together as a group,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;We have a group of guys who are seasoned and have been through ups and downs. So if a five-game losing streak is what breaks us, that&rsquo;s not who we think we are. I think we are a team that is locked in as a group.&rdquo;
Clarkson agreed and said the swoon actually helped the team communicate better.
&ldquo;There isn&rsquo;t a sense of panic with this team &hellip; a lot of it is looking at yourself and what you can do to help the team,&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;That takes out the finger-pointing if you hold yourself accountable.&rdquo;
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?
Lakers coach Frank Vogel liked how his team competed without his stars and hopes they can make a run when they return.
&ldquo;We have to stay in the fight and we have to give ourselves a chance. If we&rsquo;re able to get into the play-in game at full strength, we know we got a shot. &hellip; Tomorrow is even bigger obviously with the head-to-head with the Pelicans,&rdquo; Vogel said.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Trevor Ariza had a season-high two blocked shots. &hellip; The Lakers went 34 for 58 from 2-point range. &hellip; Malik Monk scored 14 and Carmelo Anthony added 12.
Jazz: Utah had one turnover in the first quarter, which came with 17.6 seconds left. &hellip; Gobert, who had been barking at the officials all game, finally got a technical in the third quarter. &hellip; The Jazz, who aim to get up 40-plus 3-point attempts a game, made 15 of 44 from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Jazz: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
&nbsp;

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points as the Utah Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak with a 122-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Utah snaps five-game skid with 122-109 win over Lakers

The Miami Heat were supposed to be peaking now.
After nearly one calendar year, Victor Oladipo returned earlier this month. Shortly thereafter, four months removed from <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1479485862962413574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a neck injury via that Nikola Jokić incident</a>, Markieff Morris finally came back. Beginning on March 5, the Heat were engaged in a stretch that included seven-straight home games &mdash; of which they won five &mdash; before their current back-to-back losing streak, their worst of the season.
Still, despite holding first place in the Eastern Conference, it&rsquo;s felt like the Heat have needed a jolt &mdash; nothing more amplifying of that fact than their last two games. In Philadelphia, against the 76ers without James Harden and Joel Embiid &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/5ReasonsSports/status/1507045025296928776" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whose broadcast apparently didn&rsquo;t want them to win</a> &mdash; defeated a mostly healthy Heat team. Miami was missing Oladipo and Gabe Vincent, but still had Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry, all of whom were nearly 30-balled by Tyrese Maxey.
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Okay, road game, regular season, 1-of-82 &mdash; sh*t happens.
But Wednesday, with no Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, James Wiseman, Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II (or Baron Davis, Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway or Monta Ellis), the Golden State Warriors &mdash; led by a 30-ball from Jordan Poole &mdash; punked the Heat on their home floor, 118-104.
Look, these are still NBA players, sometimes that happens too.
What typically doesn&rsquo;t &mdash; in public &mdash; was the, &ldquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1507040697219797000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kerfuffle, a hurly-burly, tomfoolery, a skirmish, a quarrel, a brouhaha, a dust-up, a hubbub or agree to disagree</a>.&rdquo;
You&rsquo;ve probably seen it by now, but here:
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Jimmy Butler was HEATED in the Miami huddle after the Warriors went on a big run to start the second half <a href="https://t.co/6waBmHlL1r">pic.twitter.com/6waBmHlL1r</a>
&mdash; Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1506804574320955392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra picks up a clipboard just so he could throw it.</li>
<li>Butler and Udonis Haslem need to be separated.
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll beat yo ass,&rdquo; which we&rsquo;ll get to in a bit.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Markieff Morris and PJ Tucker act like this is a regular Wednesday, and it might be.</li>
<li>Warriors rookie Moses Moody looks amazed and/or confused.</li>
</ul>
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Haslem telling Jimmy Butler &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll beat your ass&rdquo; 😂 <a href="https://t.co/9AcQiNw6WY">pic.twitter.com/9AcQiNw6WY</a>
&mdash; Ted Buddwell 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) <a href="https://twitter.com/TedBuddy8/status/1506806343402893315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After the game, and after joking that the team was heated about making dinner plans, Spoelstra offered his thoughts on the tense moment.
&ldquo;It was pretty clear. We have a very competitive, gnarly group; we were getting our asses kicked, for two straight games, we were not playing to the level that we wanted to play," Spoelstra said. "Every single person in that huddle was pretty animated about our disappointment in how we were playing...
&ldquo;... Everything has to be better across the board. It starts with our leadership &mdash; our veteran players have to lead. And then, we just have to play better. Play better to our identity, play more consistently, and that&rsquo;s really all the discussions were. I know how it can look to the outside, but as I mentioned before, that is more our language than playing without passion or without toughness or without multiple efforts and lifelessness.&rdquo;
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Tucker, along with Lowry and Adebayo, was one of the three Heat players to address the media after the game. He also downplayed the confrontation.
&ldquo;Something happened?&rdquo; Tucker <a href="https://youtu.be/A4T3AbNbufs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked with a smirk</a>. &ldquo;You put cameras on any NBA team, football team, any team, man. (We&rsquo;re) No. 1 in the East, finally got our whole team back, got our butts handed to us two games in a row by teams who don&rsquo;t even have their star players... emotions run high ... I laughed, man. I walked off the court laughing... This is part of the game.&rdquo;
Lowry acknowledged that "it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; but quickly added that &ldquo;it&rsquo;s passion.&rdquo;
"We&rsquo;re in a situation where we have a lot of competitive guys. Our biggest competitor is our head coach. Jimmy and UD are tough competitive guys. It&rsquo;s good sometimes to get some anger and frustration out and just talk about it," Lowry <a href="https://youtu.be/ssv0jGhR50Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. "We&rsquo;re gonna have situations that make people uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, as long as we&rsquo;re comfortable and we figure it out, it&rsquo;s all that really matters. And as long as we&rsquo;re still together, and we are.&rdquo;
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NBA players, veterans, reporters, veteran reporters, coaches, staff, referees, families and secret families would all tell you that this happens, and particularly with contenders. With the Heat specifically, it&rsquo;s an organization still run by the famously confrontational Pat Riley, who probably looks at this as a regular Wednesday despite the magnitude of social media amplification in 2022. Because this happened publicly, though, chances are this isn&rsquo;t the first time, just the most public. &nbsp;
Hardened personalities clash every now and then because they want the same goal and might have occasional philosophical differences on how to get there with their teammates. They can argue off of raw emotion because that&rsquo;s who they are, and the emotion itself mainly expresses that they care &mdash; care enough to argue over it, and are prideful enough to defend themselves publicly because of it. That&rsquo;s probably closer to what this actual is &mdash; the Heat, more than most teams and organizations &mdash; have probably earned that.
We&rsquo;ve heard his story, but it bares reiterating: Butler was homeless as a teenager and worked his ass off to become a first-round pick four years after being a JUCO-signee out of high school. Four years after being drafted, he won Most Improved Player, and has been a perennial NBA All-Star and All-Defensive player ever since while earning nine figures.
Just think. No, really, think about the self-belief that dude must have to pull that off? He never would&rsquo;ve went toe-to-toe with LeBron James in an NBA Finals without it.
Haslem is 41 years old, still in the league and has the respect of damn near everyone you could think of. He&rsquo;s a been through it all, seen it all and is an old-school dude who really values respect. Haslem went undrafted out of the Florida Gators program in 2002, played in France, came to the Heat in 2003 and has been there ever since.
Spoelstra was initially hired as the Heat&rsquo;s video coordinator in 1995 &mdash; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/sports/basketball/spoelstra-has-heat-right-where-it-wanted-to-be.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even predating Riley&rsquo;s tenure in Miami</a> &mdash; and worked his way up onto eventually becoming the head coach in 2008.
Remember last season when Haslem went at Dwight Howard? Notably, before even discussing this with teammate Duncan Robinson and podcast co-host David Reid on the Long Shot, Haslem notes how close he&rsquo;s been with Coach Spoelstra. We don&rsquo;t know what Butler said, but it might be fair to suggest Haslem felt someone was being disrespectful; sometimes, in the heat of battle, that happens too.
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&ldquo;Me and Spo been through a lot, man,&rdquo; Haslem said on the Long Shot in August. &ldquo;We done been through the bottom, we done been mad at each other, we&rsquo;ve been on the same team, we done evolved to now, we&rsquo;ve just got a great relationship. It&rsquo;s symbiotic, we don&rsquo;t have to say it, we can just feel it. I can look at him, and he can look at me.&rdquo;
Sometimes, these blowups are necessary &mdash; in a team environment, with your siblings, significant other, your bodega guy, your barber and/or your side piece. (Sometimes, you gotta get people to know their role, yanno?) Often, you just can&rsquo;t let failures fester, and there&rsquo;s a need to outwardly address them. Miami did that in a very "Heat" way, according to them.
For the Heat, it's very simple from here. This either invigorates you in time for the playoffs, or it derails your season at the worst possible time. It either really works or it really doesn&rsquo;t.
&ldquo;You can use moments during a season to catapult you,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;You can galvanize together over frustration and disappointment. Teams can also go the other way; I don&rsquo;t see that with our group, I don&rsquo;t see that with our locker room. But we have needed a kick in the butt from these two games.&rdquo;
They did, and now, they&rsquo;ll also have one of the most essential things an organization could obtain this last in the year &mdash; clarity.
If this works, the Heat will be a legit contender, mixing it up in a loaded Eastern Conference dogfight with the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and 76ers.
If it doesn&rsquo;t, and they flame out of a second-straight post-season, they&rsquo;ll have clarity on what to do next this summer.
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Bryan Fonseca reviews Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra's tense moment and why it might've been beneficial for the Heat.