Miami Heat Know They Must Handle the Boston Celtics' Big Three
The Miami Heat faced balanced teams on the way to making the Eastern Conference finals.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers had supporting players to complement their stars but the next opponent showcases an even tougher defensive task. The Boston Celtics feature three players _ Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker _ who averaged at least 20 points in the regular season. The best-of-seven series begins Tuesday night in Orlando, with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals.
"They're heavy on their starting five and those three guys," Heat guard Kendrick Nunn said. "You've got Walker, Brown and Tatum. So just contain those guys, limiting things that they do ... At this point, a lot of Xs and Os matter but it really comes down to who wants it."
The Heat are coming off a series where they slowed reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo by making him the focal point of the defense. It won't be as easy against the Celtics because of their three-headed attack.
"I don't think it's one thing," forward Kelly Olynyk said. "We've just got to be together on both ends of the floor. Whatever our schemes are, whatever the game plan is, as long as we're together, we'll be all right."
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called the Celtics the biggest challenge of the postseason. He wouldn't reveal much of the defensive game plan, but doesn't expect it to be easy.
"When you get to the conference finals, there's four teams left," Spoelstra said. "It's not like the NCAA tournament where you can just get hot for three weeks. You have to be a good team that has proved it for months. You've earned that right. The last four teams should be the teams that have the most complexity."
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