Are the Celtics Ready to Turn Up the Heat For Game 3?

The Celtics return home after a dominant Game 2 win. What should we expect from the Green Team tonight?

As the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, it came as no surprise that Marcus Smart’s return to the Boston Celtics lineup for Game 2 would make a huge impact in Boston’s play and eventually win to even the series at one game apiece.

But his impact offensively, more so than his defense, was really what put the Celtics over the top.

So what can we expect from Smart and the Celtics for Game 3 tonight?

DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!

This was the Celtics’ calling card most of this season, and it will continue to be going forward now that they have the band back together.

Smart’s return to the lineup along with Al Horford who missed Game 1 due to being in health and safety protocol, reunited what was the best defensive starting five in the NBA this past season.

And in the playoffs, Boston’s defense has continued to stand out.

Only the Milwaukee Bucks had a better team defensive rating (102.7) than the Celtics (106.7) among playoff teams, and the Celtics eliminated them in the second round.

Miami presents a different type of challenge because it leans more on its perimeter players to win games.

And that’s part of the problem for them.

Boston’s defense relies heavily on its perimeter players who have been exceptional this season in limiting dribble-penetration.

And when teams have been able to get into the paint, either Al Horford or Robert Williams III has been around to contest, block a shot or make the ball-handler pass back to the perimeter.

Getting into the paint off of drive attempts has been a key to Miami’s success in the playoffs, and it will be a factor in tonight’s game as well.

Against the Celtics, the Heat has shot 58.3 percent from the field on drive attempts.

BENCH SCORING

This has been among the more surprising developments in this series thus far. With Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro around, this was supposed to be one of Miami’s clear advantages in this series.

But two games in, and it has been anything but a clear victory for the Miami bench.

While Miami has outscored Boston’s backups 76-63 for the series, much of Miami’s backup production in Game 2 came after the game was all but decided. As for Herro, there has been at least one Celtics backup who has scored more points than Herro in each of the first two games.

That’s important because if the Celtics can get enough offensive power to keep up with Herro, that only enhances their chances of success.

SMART THE PLAYMAKER

In Game 2, Smart was one rebound shy of his first career triple-double. He would finish with 24 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.

Beyond the numbers, Smart’s greatest contribution in Game 2 was his ability to keep the Celtics organized offensively.

Whenever the Heat seemed on the cusp of taking Boston out of whatever it is they were running, it was Smart who often settled the team down and got them back to playing the way they needed to in order to be successful.

And the backdrop of Smart’s Game 2 performance, is how quickly and impactful he was coming off a mid-foot sprain injury less than a week earlier.

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis suffered a similar injury and wound up missing 21 of the Lakers’ last 24 games this season.

The mid-foot sprain suffered by Chicago guard Alex Caruso this season sidelined him for a month.

So the idea that Smart had such a quick recovery and made an instant impact, is all the more remarkable which is in part why the Celtics have a tremendous amount of confidence heading into tonight’s game.