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Why this next Miami Heat-Boston Celtics chapter won’t let us down

There are few people in the NBA who dislike each other more than Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge and Miami Heat president Pat Riley, and they have been for four decades.

They hated each other in the 1980s, when Ainge was shooting guard for the Celtics in the Finals against Riley’s Los Angeles Lakers.

They hated each other in the 1990s, when Ainge was playing for the Phoenix Suns and Riley was coaching the New York Knicks and they were both involved in a brawl. Ainge and Riley ended up on the ground, Riley ripping his pants. It resulted in a record 21 players who were fined or suspended.

Since 2003, when Ainge was named the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, they have hated each other as rival executives, with Riley in charge of the Heat since 1995.

They have been shot numerous times in that span, most memorable in 2013 when Ainge criticized LeBron James on a radio show and Riley issued a formal statement that read:

“Danny Ainge needs to shut up and run his own team. He was the one who complained the most when he played and I know that because I trained against him.”

Ainge’s response: “I don’t care about Pat Riley. He can say whatever he wants. I don’t want to spoil his Armani suits and all that fluff. It would be too expensive for me.”

Paul Pierce said he was happy to bring his talents to South Beach when the Celtics won their first game against the Big Three. Udonis Haslem responded by saying that Pierce was a “studio gangster.”

The Celtics won in a playoff matchup in 2010. The Heat won in 2011. In 2012, the Heat won a seven-game classic in the conference finals.

Riley signed Ray Allen when he was with Ainge. Ainge beat Riley by signing Gordon Hayward.

Now a new chapter. There are new faces, well, except Haslem, on the court. New styles are being employed: If there were a 21-player fight today, there could be a Congressional investigation.

But this Eastern Conference final is still Heat-Celtics. And that means it’s Riley-Ainge. These are your teams, with your character, carrying your legacy.

He has hardly ever let us down.

— Brian Windhorst


Eastern Final Schedule

Game 1, September 15: Heat at Celtics | TBD on ESPN
Game 2, September 17: Heat at Celtics | TBD on ESPN
Game 3, September 19: Celtics at Heat | 8:30 pm on ESPN
Game 4, TBD: Celtics at Heat | TBD on ESPN
Game 5, TBD (if necessary): Heat at Celtics | TBD on ESPN
Game 6, TBD (if necessary): Celtics at Heat | TBD on ESPN
Game 7, TBD (if necessary): Heat at Celtics | TBD on ESPN


How the Celtics got here

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In a dramatic series from start to finish, the Toronto Raptors could not endorse their crown after losing in the seventh game 92-87 to the Boston Celtics. After the victory, those led by Brad Stevens will face the Miami Heat.

The basics

2019-20 record: 48-24 overall

Offensive rating: 112.8 (4to) | Playoffs: 111.2 (7mo)

Rating defensivo: 106.5 (4to) | Playoffs: 102.7 (1ro)

Playoff results

Ronda 1: Defeated Philadelphia 76ers 4-0

Ronda 2: Defeated Toronto Raptors 4-3

The Celtics entered the Florida bubble with high expectations and they have met them. Boston has been excellent since arriving in Orlando, in large part due to Kemba Walker’s healthy return. After the point guard dealt with knee problems for the final two months of the season before she was suspended in March, and again when the team met again in Boston in June, Walker has returned to her usual self during the playoffs, flying around and doing the kind of awesome change of direction moves that made him a star with Charlotte.

Boston has also managed to overcome the loss of Gordon Hayward, who suffered a grade 3 sprained ankle in Game 1 of the team’s playoff series against the 76ers. The Celtics also escaped a titanic seven-game scramble with the defending champion Raptors after largely overcoming them (Boston lost heartthrob in Games 3 and 6) to return to the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in four seasons. Now, Boston is four wins away from its first trip to the NBA Finals in a decade.

– Tim Bontemps

How the Heat got here

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The Miami Heat took advantage of the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo and beat the Milwaukee Bucks 103-94, eliminating them from the NBA playoffs, by winning their series 4-1.

The basics

2019-20 record: 44-29 overall

Offensive rating: 111.9 (7mo) | Playoffs: 112.9 (5to)

Rating defensivo: 109.3 (12do) | Playoffs: 105.4 (4to)

Playoff results

Ronda 1: Defeated Indiana Pacers 4-0

Ronda 2: Derrotaron Milwaukee Bucks 4-1

The Heat have been the favorites of the bubble. They believed that heading into the reboot, their organizational culture offered them a huge boost in terms of being prepared for the mental challenges that come with being away from family and friends for so long, and they were right.

The professional approach the Heat take as a team has shone on the court. After eliminating the Indiana Pacers in a first-round sweep, the Heat dominated the first-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in five games. It was one of the most impressive underdog series in recent memory, and Jimmy Butler led the way.

Throughout the playoffs, the Heat have received contributions from everyone on their roster, from veterans like Goran Dragic and difference-makers like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. The most memorable moment so far probably came in Game 2, when Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled Butler as time expired and Butler stepped to the line, as players from both teams watched helplessly from the ground. across the court, and made two free throws to win the game. Heat edging Bucks 40-13 – Butler edged Bucks 17-13 on his own – in the fourth quarter to come back and win Game 3 is a close second.

– Nick Friedell

Key to the series: How will Boston handle Miami from the 3-point line?

Here’s a wild stat: The Celtics have ranked in the top six in 3-point percentage of opponents each season for the past decade. And this series could come down to whether Boston’s three-point defense can slow down Duncan Robinson and one of the best shooting teams in the NBA.

During the regular season, Boston ranked second in the NBA, allowing only 34% of their opponents’ triples to find the back of the net, and the Celtics have been even more tight-fisted in the first two rounds of this postseason. , holding the Raptors and 76ers at a combined 29.2% from the 3-line.

But here’s the thing, the Heat are not the Sixers. Miami is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, ranking second in 3-point percentage this season, and has been the most accurate 3-point shooting team in the East in the first two rounds of these playoffs. .

Although Adebayo was second in voting for the Most Improved Player award this season, his teammate Robinson also burst onto the scene, stepping out of relative obscurity to record one of the best catch-and-shoot seasons in league history. .

Robinson made more than 46% of 513 3-pointers in catch and shoot this season. Here’s the list of shooters in NBA history who hit more than 45% of at least 500 3-pointers to catch and shoot in a single season: Duncan Robinson. But no one.

Not Klay Thompson. Not Ray Allen. Not Stephen Curry. The only one close is Thompson, who has tried 500 catch-and-shoot 3s in two seasons but never hit more than 43.6% in either season. Robinson is a special talent.

Like Thompson, Robinson can warm up and change games, and series results, with his jump shots, but one of the reasons Boston has hit incredible numbers when it comes to defending 3s is because Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart are proven defenders, capable of closing the gap and contesting shots.

If the regular season is any good indication, Boston should be feeling confident: Miami made only 32% of its 3s in all three meetings involving the teams heading into this series.

– Kirk Goldsberry

MORE: Hit the 3s or watch the season unravel

Key to the series: how personal fouls could decide the East final

I’d keep a close eye on how many times the Heat get to the free throw line in this series. In terms of the four factors of basketball success, the Celtics’ greatest defensive weakness during the regular season was their tendency to foul. They ranked 24th in terms of opponent’s free throw attempts per field goal attempt.

Meanwhile, led by Butler, Miami attempted the most free throws per field goal (.299) among NBA teams. That has held up into the playoffs, where the Heat’s free throw attempt rate has risen to .351 per shot attempt despite their first two opponents (Indiana and Milwaukee) ranking in the top 10 in shooting rates. free of lowest opponents during the regular season.

At Butler and Dragic, Miami has two skilled practitioners of the dark art of attracting and selling contact. Just like when defending James Harden, opponents must remain disciplined and avoid reaching inside, no matter how tempting it may seem. The Bucks failed that test far too often in the first three games of their series, when they sent the Heat to the free throw line an average of 31 times per game. When Milwaukee learned its lesson, it was too late to come back.

Boston survived by giving up 31 free throw attempts in a January game in Miami, but their showdown at the ESPN World Wide of Sports Complex during the seeded games was less encouraging. Even with Butler out, the Heat reached the free throw line 39 times, including 18 by Adebayo, in a 112-106 victory over a healthy Celtics team.

Depending on when Hayward can return, Boston’s fouls could have an additional impact. Those fouls not only send Miami down the line for efficient production, the Celtics also run the risk of foul problems that would force Brad Stevens to get more on his bench than he wants. Smart fouled out in just 16 minutes when these teams most recently met, and Tatum committed his fifth foul in the third quarter.

— Kevin Pelton

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