On Wednesday evening, the Heat played the second game of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the Celtics. The Heat lost by 20 points in Game 1 and they knew head coach Erik Spoelstra would have to make adjustments. Miami’s game plan last night against the Celtics was simple. Take three-point exercises and do them in bulk.
That’s exactly what the Heat did in Game 2 against the Celtics. Miami shot an incredible 23-43 from distance. These 23 three-pointers made are a new franchise record for a single postseason game. More importantly, the Heat tied the series 1-1 as their next two games will be in Miami. Can the Heat maintain this incredible shooting pace and keep the Celtics working on defense?
The Heat were willing to live and die by the three in Game 2
The Miami Heat just set a franchise record for three-pointers (23) in a playoff game. pic.twitter.com/CHzWtAOt2C
– StatMuse (@statmuse) April 25, 2024
In Game 2, all Heat players made threes. Of the nine players who saw action last night, seven made at least one three-pointer. Additionally, three players hit at least three triples against the Celtics in Game 2. They were Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Haywood Highsmith. Caleb Martin hit five three-pointers for the Heat and Tyler Herro added six more. It was a three-point masterclass from Miami all game long and it was a game they had to win.
Herro led the Heat in Game 2 with 24 points, and it was one of his better shooting performances in recent memory. He was an efficient 6-11 player from deep and has found a way to be a legitimate playmaker as well. There was something about Herro not being used to watching this. In addition to his 24 points in Game 2, Herro added 14 assists and five rebounds. The 24-year-old did a little bit of everything for Miami in their win that tied the series against Boston.
If you want to take the time to rewatch all of our threesomes from tonight, we can’t judge 😌 pic.twitter.com/p4YW2GGHzq
– Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 25, 2024
After their upset win over the Celtics, the Heat became the first playoff team in 30 years to win a game by double digits in which they were underdogs by 14 points or more. This data comes courtesy of ESPN Stats Information. Head coach Erik Spoelstra knew Miami had to keep up with the Celtics in the number of three-pointers made. They made 11 more three-pointers than Boston in Game 2 and hit those shots at an extremely high rate. Game 3 takes place on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. EST. Can the Heat win two games in a row or will the Celtics get back to winning ways as heavy favorites in this series?