After a big win in Game 1 of the first round against the Miami Heat, the Celtics will attempt to go up 2-0 in the series as they host the Heat for Game 2. These two teams are very familiar with each other having met in the playoffs in 4 of the last 5 years. The Heat lead the Celtics 4-2 all time in playoff series wins. They have played in 2 of the last 3 Eastern Conference finals and also in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals. They lead the Celtics 20-17 in playoff games won.

Going into Game 1, the Celtics had been off for a week while the Heat had played 2 games after the season ended in order to just make the playoffs and they had played on Friday before Sunday’s matinee game against the Celtics. Both teams have had 2 days off since their last meeting on Sunday and so the Celtics won’t have a big rest advantage and the Heat will be a bit more rested than they were coming into the first game.

In Game 1, the Celtics took 49 threes and made 22, which is a franchise playoff record. The Celtics were first in the league, averaging 42.5 threes a game in the regular season. The Heat averaged 33.7 threes a game in the regular season and took 37 in Game 1, making just 12. Erik Spoelstra has vowed to overcome that disparity in made 3’s. If the Heat can defend the perimeter better, the Celtics will need to change up their strategy and go to the basket if the threes stop falling for them. And, if the Heat look to take more 3’s this game, the Celtics need to increase their perimeter defense.

Most of the discussion after Game 1 was about the hard foul that Caleb Martin committed on Jayson Tatum. Thankfully Jayson wasn’t seriously hurt, but it could have caused serious injury. Both teams talked about this series being a war prior to Game 1 and if there is one thing that is certain about the Miami Heat, it is that they will play hard and try to muddy up the series. The Celtics have to be ready for more hard fouls and not allow that type of play to frustrate them and take them out of their game.

The Celtics need to be ready for the Heat to come out looking to be better in this game. Spoelstra will have his players ready to take the fight to the Celtics. The Celtics jumped out to a big lead right from the beginning of Game 1 and the Heat will try to avoid that in this game by being aggressive right from the beginning. The Celtics should be ready for their physicality and more defense on the perimeter and they may look to be more physical themselves. The question will be how much the referees allow and if they call the game a bit more closely after the hard foul by Martin in Game 1.

Quotes from the Celtics show that they are expecting a physical and aggressive Heat team. Jaylen Brown expects a fight and expects the Celtics to respond in kind: “They’re going to be hungry. Desperate. They’re going to come out fast, even more aggressive. Trying to turn us over. Just trying to crash the glass hard, be physical – knocking us to the ground. Just trying to win that physicality match any way they can. That’s what I foresee. But we’ll be ready to do the same thing.”

The Celtics remain mostly healthy, although Jayson Tatum may be a bit sore after the fall he took after the foul from Caleb Martin. He’s not on the injured list so that is good. Luke Kornet remains out for the Celtics with a calf injury. For the Heat, Jimmy Butler is out with an MCL sprain and is likely to miss the rest of the series. Terry Rozier is out with a neck sprain and is considered week to week. Josh Richardson is out after having shoulder surgery.