Celtics school Heat on 'mental toughness'

Nikola Vucevic was picked up by the Celtics at the trade deadline and he has been a “Heat Killer.” He showed it in a sequence with the Heat up by 5. Dru Smith missed a three and Nikola Vucevic got the rebound. The Celtics started their possession and Vucevic was being covered by Dru Smith. Vucevic missed the initial layup, got his own rebound and then scored on a layup.

Vucevic was fouled on another possession and sunk both of his free throws. Nikola Jovic missed a three-point shot and Vucevic then scored at the other end on a layup. Norman Powell scored for the Heat to keep them with a three-point lead but then the other “Heat killer” Derrick White, drained a three-pointer to tie the score at 72 and end the comeback.

Celtics get “Porzingis 2.0”

The Celtics won the 2024 Championship and Kristaps Porzingis was a major piece in their offense. The Golden State Warriors stated it simply (about Porzingis) — size, space, shooting, rim protection. He exploited matchup problems when teams defended Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum well. Porzingis had to be let go to get under the second apron, but now with Vucevic, they have a “big” that can do the same job.

Vucevic with sparkplug Payton Pritchard did a lot of damage to the Heat in the second half. Pritchard scored 24 points off the bench. He moved to the bench after the Anfernee Simons trade and looks to be a key piece to the second team for the Celtics.

Heat fought back in fourth quarter

The Heat used the three-point shot to fight back in the fourth quarter. They were up 96-93 with 2:36 remaining in the game. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White scored five points to put the game away. The Heat went to the line 18 times in the game compared to Boston’s 23. The Celtics scored 10 more points in the paint then the Heat and won the rebounding battle 50-42.

The Heat are “on the right track,” but they don’t have a “collective will” to win. Neither Bam, Wiggins, nor Norman Powell can do it alone. They can compete with the best teams in the East and actually win some nights. Some.