Takeaways From The Miami Heat's Game 4 Loss
The Miami Heat were blown out by the Boston Celtics in Game 4, 102-82.
Here are some major takeaways:
- Jayson Tatum comes through. Tatum, who is averaging 27 points in the postseason, scored 31 points on 50 percent shooting.
-The free throws. The Celtics are averaging 23 free throw attempts in the playoffs but in Game 4, they connected on 32 of 38. The 38 attempts are their most in the playoffs.
-Heat guard Victor Oladipo showed up. Oladipo, who is averaging 11 points in the playoffs, had his best game in the postseason. He played 30 minutes off the bench and had 23 points, including four 3-pointers. He also had four rebounds and six assists.
-The Heat’s bench. Yes, Oladipo scored 23 points but the other reserves stepped up. Their bench has averaged 36 points in the playoffs but in Game 4, they scored a combined 64 points, 26 of them coming from Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin.
-Jimmy Butler is slowing down. Butler, who is averaging a career-best 26 points in the postseason, was limited to just six points, all of them coming in the first half. This was also the second consecutive game that Butler scored only single-digit points.
-The Heat’s starters. Although Butler scored just six points, the other four starters had trouble getting hot. The starting five, who are averaging 69 points in the postseason, scored just 18 points.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson
