BOSTON – Boston’s starting unit was unusually sluggish out of the gates during Saturday’s matinee matchup against the Miami Heat. All it needed was a boost from the bench to get the team back to its typical fast-paced flow.
Celtics’ coach Brad Stevens turned to his second after a slow start, and the reserves quickly erased a 20-8 deficit. Their energy on both sides of the ball eventually rubbed off on the starters by the time they re-entered the game later on, and enabled Boston to roll to a 101-89 win.
“We knew coming in that it was going to be a struggle coming in against a good team, an early game – something that’s not very common,” said reserve, Marcus Smart, who scored a team-high 15 points. “Off the bench we just wanted to come in and [boost] the intensity.”
Boston certainly needed that boost after it made just two field goals during the opening six minutes against the Heat, who entered the contest just one game behind the C’s in the Eastern Conference standings.
The slow start, Stevens later explained, “Affected our first unit’s stamina as far as playing at the level they usually play at.”
Boston’s bench players, on the other hand, played at a high level from the get-go, as Smart, Evan Turner, Tyler Zeller and Jonas Jerebko combined to score 49 points on the afternoon.
Zeller provided the initial bench spark for the C’s. He was subbed in with four minutes remaining in the first quarter and quickly knocked down a pair of mid-range jumpers. The C’s would use the mid-range game to their advantage from there on out, as the Heat and league-leading shot-blocker Hassan Whiteside had no answer there.
“It was a game where you had to hit or be a threat from the 16-foot-plus range because of [Hassan] Whiteside’s strengths,” explained Stevens.
It was also a game in which ball movement played a huge factor for Boston. When the reserves initially entered the game they established a better passing flow, and that allowed them to come back from the early deficit.
Turner was largely responsible for leading the charge in that capacity.
“You got to move the ball around a few times,” said Turner, who finished with a game-high nine assists. “We played our type of basketball and tried to execute the pace and hit the open man.”
Boston’s ability to hit the open man enabled it to chip away at Miami’s early lead, and the C’s went into the half facing a slim 49-46 deficit.
While the reserves had thrived to that point in the game, Boston’s starters had experienced a rare collective lull. Its first unit combined for 17 points during the first half, including just seven total points between its three leading scorers, Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder.
The second half was a much different story for that trio as they finished the game with 35 points between them. Crowder says the initial spark the from the reserves positively impacted the starting rotation’s energy level.
“The starters came out flat and they came out and put a run together to help us get back in the game,” said Crowder. “It was a great lift from them.”
The reserves also provided a lift during the fourth quarter, as Marcus Smart played the final 12 minutes, tallying eight points and four boards during that span.
He hit a go-ahead 3-pointer during the opening minutes of the fourth, and later went on a personal five-point run during the closing minutes that stretched Boston’s lead to 93-84.
“He played with unbelievable energy,” Crowder said of Smart. “He was crashing the glass, making the hustle plays and made a heck of a 3 at the top of the key when we needed it.”
Those hustle plays were certainly needed against Miami’s staunch defense, both early, to erase the C’s deficit, and late, to seal the deal.
Boston’s bench delivered immensely during both of those critical times, fueling its eventual win.
