Tyler Herro led the Miami Heat to an impressive Game 2 win over the No. 1 seed Celtics on the road. Herro took the mantle as the Heat's primary option in Jimmy Butler's absence and revealed that Butler sent him motivating words ahead of this series.
"Just before the series, JB texted me, 'T, take the team and lead these guys. Make every right play, it's not all about scoring. In the Playoffs, you have got to make the right play.' Our guys showed up tonight, Caleb, and Jaime the rook, he was doing his thing as well. Everybody came to play. We lost badly in Game 1 and everybody responded, that's all you can ask from a group of guys."
Herro ended Game 2 with 24 points and 14 assists, leading the Heat admirably in Butler's absence. The Heat made a team-record 21 3-pointers during this contest, as Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo ended the game with 21 points apiece. Herro, in particular, showcased the depth of his playmaking skills while serving as the perfect combo guard for the Heat.
The Heat were the No. 8 seed last season and sent the Celtics packing in the Conference Finals. This year's first-round matchup was considered to be in Boston's favor with their uber-talented lineup, 65-win season, and the fact that Jimmy Butler is hurt. However, Erik Spoelstra would not get swept by the Celtics.
Joe Mazzulla Reacts To The Celtics Loss
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla wasn't thrilled to see his team lose a pivotal Game 1, lamenting the Celtics' lack of efficiency in the loss.
"When things like that happen, it puts pressure on your offense. Your offense needs to be more efficient, effective, and you have to look at the other side to make adjustments."
Mazzulla wasn't too critical of his players because they managed to keep the game close despite the Heat having a red-hot shooting night.
"The first adjustment was to be more efficient on the offensive end, which we were able to do on certain stretches. It was a two or three-possession game, so with a team shooting 55% from three and you shooting 37% and then, to be outshot by 11 and for it to be a two-possession game for a majority of the fourth quarter, you know you're looking to be more efficient on the offensive end."
Jaylen Brown also discussed how much the Heat's shooting caused this game to swing.
"Guys that we want shooting the ball was hitting them and we couldn’t get them to miss. We thought they were decent closeouts."
Game 3 will be in Miami and the Celtics will need to come away with the win to regain control of this series. Falling 2-1 down to the Heat with Game 4 to be played in Miami is a risk they shouldn't be comfortable with.
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