BOSTON — When the Celtics traded for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, the plan was for them to put the team over the top from a talent perspective. Holiday came in as a former champion as his defense was going to be a huge plus while bringing some consistency on offense. Porzingis was the more intriguing option in that he was bound to be a matchup nightmare for opponents, which proved true during the regular season.
So as the Celtics blew out the Heat in Game 1, the pieces looked like they fit perfectly. Porzingis showed off why the C’s traded for him; Holiday didn’t have the greatest stats, but he was a factor defensively. But after the Celtics were stunned in their Game 2 loss to the Heat, it was a brutal wake-up call for not just the team but the new acquisitions. The 3-pointers were undoubtedly a factor for the Heat, but the Celtics needed more from their talented roster.
“I think they hit a lot of 3s,” Holiday said of the loss. “They took a lot, they hit a lot, and that kind of fueled them. I think we played hard and played tough. I think we fought. I think for myself personally I could have crashed the offensive glass a little bit more. But just going to go back and watch the game and adjust.”
Porzingis had perhaps his worst game of the season Wednesday, putting up just six points, eight rebounds and four assists on 1-for-9 shooting. He was a minus-32 in his 30 minutes of what ended up being a 10-point Celtics loss. It was clear the physicality bothered him as the Heat made it difficult for him to even get the ball when he did have a mismatch. And when he did have the ball, he wasn’t able to make an impact.
Holiday wasn’t much better as he finished with nine points, three rebounds and two assists. For a Celtics team that needed to be efficient with the Heat knocking in those 3s, the 4-for-12 showing wasn’t up to par. The offense wasn’t great in Game 1, either, as the guard will look to bounce back going forward, just like the rest of the squad.
So the Celtics will go back to the drawing board after the Game 2 loss. They’ll need to make adjustments — especially to make life easier for Porzingis. How the big man would look in the playoffs was a major question mark as he didn’t bring in a wealth of postseason experience like his teammates. While Porzingis impressed in Game 1, the Game 2 showing wasn’t up to the big man’s standards. But those are the necessary adjustments over a playoff series as the C’s will shift their attention to Game 3.
“They’re physical,” Jaylen Brown said. “They make it tough and stuff like that. They want to push catches out, especially if the whistle’s in their favor they pride themselves on trying to make everything tough. So we just gotta fight for our spacing. Gotta be just as physical and look forward to it. Own our space, catch the ball with physicality, don’t look for the ref to make the call, and embrace it.”