Fox’s Chris Broussard thinks Miami’s tenacity, coaching won out vs Cs

Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard believes the Boston Celtics were out-hustled, outcoached and too inexperienced to win the East Finals over the Miami Heat.

More than a few Boston Celtics fans were caught as off guard as the Celtics were by a relentless Miami Heat squad that robbed their favorite team of an NBA Finals appearance against their longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers when Boston fell in Game 6 to the Heat.

But how did it end up happening?

“I think that Miami’s tenacity wore them down,” suggested Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard in a recent interview with Heavy.com’s Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on the “Heavy Live With Scoop B” show.

There have been voices in the media that also suggest that Boston’s relative youth also played a role, and Broussard is in that camp as well.

“Jimmy Butler said it, ‘Boston’s a more talented team, but they’re young,'” noted the Fox analyst.

And while both teams have seasoned veterans on their roster, Gordon Hayward had never been further as an active player than the Western Conference Semifinals (with the Utah Jazz) — and Kemba Walker no further than the first round with the Charlotte Hornets.

Only Enes Kanter has been to a Conference Finals before, and it’s hard to demonstrate veteran leadership on the court when your style of play makes you near-unplayable against the Heat.

“Kemba has never been on this stage before,” explained Broussard. “And granted, you can say the same for Miami but Jayson Tatum is still a young guy as great as he is. And Jaylen Brown.”

The Fox analyst also pointed out that Boston’s lack of heft in the frontcourt may have also played a role.

“They’re a small team for the most part,” he suggested.

And while Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is rightfully regarded as one of the better in the league, Erik Spoelstra — the Heat’s head coach — probably won the coaching battle as well.

“I think that Miami was tougher, more tenacious, grittier and Brad Stevens is a good coach,” explained Broussard, [but] Spoelstra outcoached him in this series.”

Despite all this, with the best young wing duo in the league likely under contract for many years to come, the Celtics have plenty to look forward to.

Even if the taste of the missed opportunity remains bitter for the present.

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