Heat’s strengths amplified by Iggy, Crowder additions, says Stevens

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens thinks the Miami Heat’s additions of ex-Celtic Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala makes them a harder team to beat.

While it might feel like a decade ago in this topsy-turvy season, the Miami Heat added former Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder and — most recently with the Memphis Grizzlies — Andre Iguodala at the trade deadline, and Boston head coach Brad Stevens credits the duo for much of Miami success since.

“The Iguodala and Crowder acquisitions at the trade deadline were huge, and you knew that right when they happened,” offered Stevens.

And while it would be a bit much to say the mid-season hiatus helped the Heat, having the additional camp environment in the Disney restart scrimmage games certainly didn’t hurt integrating the pair into the Miami way, either.

“Usually the trade deadline, you’re getting more comfortable as the playoffs arrive, and then you’re hoping to peak but now you get a whole training camp in advance of the seeding games and then the playoffs,” he added.

“But, everybody’s been in that same boat,” observed the Celtics coach.

“We’ve talked about the value here and having continuity with that, but … those two guys made them better when they got them, that was going to be clear.”

“I think the opportunity for them to play small ball with even more versatility and to surround those great shooters with more skill, but also guys that could guard the best players on the other teams for multiple possessions or ends of games or those types of things has added a great deal to their team. Both those guys are smart, both those guys are winners, they both do what they do really, really well, and we saw that with Crowder here. He’s shooting great, he’s a really smart player, he’s a competitive guy, and he fits right in with that team and it allowed him — [on a] team that started big all year — allowed him to start Adebayo at the five, with all that floor spacing.”

“Now everybody’s strengths are that much more amplified,” added Stevens.

While the Celtics are much better-constructed to face a team like Miami compared to the Toronto Raptors, the versatility that Crowder brings and the veteran presence and quick hands of Iguodala present a challenge unlike anything they saw from the Raptors on the wing.

And while there is familiarity with Crowder on this roster, he’s playing as well as he ever did with the Celtics for Miami — will Boston’s young wing duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum be up to the challenge of covering this pair of Heat forwards?

If what we’ve seen from them in the first two rounds continues, we’re inclined to say yes.

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