The Miami HEAT host the Boston Celtics Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Get your tickets now! The HEAT fell to the Celtics 112-104 in their last meeting on November 28. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM. Television coverage on FOX Sports Sun begins at 5:30 PM. You can also listen to the action live on 790 The Ticket.
1: What did you take away from Miami's close loss to the Los Angeles Clippers?
Couper Moorhead: We may be belaboring the point here, but the most important thing was that the HEAT simply refused to let the game get away from them. The first-half defense wasn't at the level it had been the past two games, but the team self-corrected after the break and held a very, very good Clippers offense to 42 second-half points. As we've seen in all of their strong efforts, of which there are a great many to choose from, the paint was protected as the HEAT appeared to get to every loose ball and they pushed in transition at every opportunity.
On a more granular level, Erik Spoelstra continued his use of James Johnson as a center for stretches and, late in the game, again had Johnson running a good chunk of the offense. And, as far as getting Miami back in the game, it worked. Spoelstra has continued to say this week that he'll stick with what's working, so there's a decent likelihood of seeing this look again on Sunday.
Joe Beguiristain: While the HEAT fell short, they bounced back after a tough first half and made the Clippers work for everything after halftime. Once again, James Johnson changed the complexion of the game due to his versatility on both ends, but it was Justise Winslow who really made some strides down the stretch against Los Angeles.
After a little bit of a slow start against the Clippers, Winslow flipped the script in the second half and was back to his usual self. From nifty spin-moves in the post to cuts to the basket, the 20-year-old did damage regardless of who was defending him. On the flip side of the ball, he had the tall task of guarding both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul at times down the stretch. Winslow finished with 15 points and four boards, but more importantly it was great to see him get back in the flow of things after missing 16 games with a wrist injury.
2: What did we learn in the first meeting of the HEAT and Celtics?
Couper: That Boston, even without their star offseason signing Al Horford, are the team you remember from last season. While a 42-point third quarter, and a 17-assist effort from Goran Dragic, kept the HEAT in the game they were still playing from behind for most of the night as Boston whipped the ball around the court and executed a precise defensive scheme. And even with Isaiah Thomas shooting 2-of-10 from downtown the Celtics were still over 40 percent from outside as they seemingly hit a timely three whenever Miami threatened.
Still, it was Dragic's night. It was his first game back after missing a back-to-back with Memphis and Boston seemingly had no answer for his relentless attack – an aggressive style that has continued in pretty much every game since then. Boston will likely spend a good bit of time gameplanning against Dragic this time around, but there's only so much you can do when Dragic is on the level he was on against the Celtics.
Joe: We learned that Boston is pretty tough to beat even without Al Horford. In that last matchup on November 28, the Celtics didn't trail after the first quarter and kept the pressure on Miami throughout. That said, both Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside led a spirited comeback attempt in the third. Actually, that game marked the beginning of Dragic's current hot streak, as he tallied 27 points and 17 assists against Boston.
However, the Celtics were just too much in the end. Although Isaiah Thomas struggled in the first half, he picked things up later in the game. Jae Crowder also played pretty well and brought energy on both ends as usual.
With Winslow now back and James Johnson playing at a very high level, we'll see how that changes this matchup on Sunday night.
3: How will Al Horford being in the lineup this time change the game?
Couper: In fairness to Boston, regarding Dragic's constant dribble drives in the first meeting, the Celtics were without Horford's defensive prowess in the middle of the floor. With him now, and a mostly healthy roster otherwise, Boston's paint defense will likely be tighter with their anchor back on the floor, but on the other side it's a testament to the Celtics' depth that Horford, despite being more talented than his replacements, shouldn't change a ton about Miami's defensive scheme. Boston will play five-out lineups with Jae Crowder at the four and Kelly Olynyk at center, a lineup that gave Miami some trouble the first time around, so while Hoford in a similar formation is more of a threat to put the ball on the floor it doesn't fundamentally change the things that Miami has to be concerned with.
Joe: To put it simply, Horford makes Boston a better team on both ends of the floor. While Tyler Zeller has the ability to knock down shots and roll to the basket, Horford is just a whole other animal. Thanks to his unselfishness, the Dominican makes life so much easier for his teammates. In fact, Horford is averaging 6.3 assists per game in his last six. It's safe to say that his playing style meshes perfectly with Brad Stevens' offensive philosophy, and as a result the Celtics are second in the league with a 64.8 assist percentage. On the flip side of the ball, Horford is just as impactful due to his versatility and quick feet that allows him to stay with guards on a switch.
While containing the 30-year-old will definitely be a challenge for Hassan Whiteside and the HEAT, Miami has risen to the occasion more often than not this season.
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