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Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory over the Miami Heat

By Rudi Richards

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 11: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high five during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 11: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high five during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics (Photo by Ashley Landis – Pool/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics (Photo by Ashley Landis – Pool/Getty Images) /

3. Crashing the boards to compete Miami’s bigs

The rebounding battle is going to prove to be a big factor in this series. When you’re going against a team as tough and gritty as the Heat are, you’re always going to have a hard day on the glass. The obvious obstacle for the Boston Celtics is Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo was one of the league’s most improved players this year and he made his first All-Star appearance in the process. He can do just about anything on both ends and is physically dominant inside on both ends of the floor. He’s the type of player that the Celtics could have trouble against, as they’re a smaller team and don’t have a matchup that can match him like-for-like.

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Daniel Theis has performed well for the Celtics at the five-spot throughout the playoffs and is going to have a lot on his hands, dealing with Bam inside the paint. For the Celtics, who play so much positionless basketball, they will have adaptability, allowing plenty of switches onto the likes of Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. The main concern inside will be to get themselves in good positions to secure the ball on the defensive end, not allowing any second chance attempts for a Heat outfit that is averaging 13.0 of these per game in the playoffs.

The Heat are one of the better-rebounding sides in the league, with a 53.7 rebounding percentage throughout the playoffs, and rankings fifth in rebounding percentage throughout this year’s regular season. You’re going to be that, good when you have Adebayo, Butler, and Jae Crowder, and the Celtics will have to counter this. The best way will be to be clever when defending the paint and getting themselves in a position to be able to regain the ball following a field goal attempt by the heat.

The Celtics are going to need contributions from their bigs in Theis, and Robert Williams III off of the bench. Then you have the two stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are averaging 10.1 and 7.6 rebounds per game respectively throughout the postseason. When you have these guys dominating boards then that’s going to push you on to get a win in a game. The Heat, though, is a different beast when it comes to the glass and the Celtics are going to need a valiant series to counter this.

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