How the Boston Celtics torched the Miami Heat’s defense using Jayson Tatum

The Boston Celtics eliminated the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. It took Joe Mazzulla’s team five games to overcome a gritty and well-coached roster led by Erik Spoelstra. However, Boston held the Heat to under 100 points in four of their five matchups. And they consistently found ways to create space around the rim or to generate favorable matchups.

In the latest episode of the Celtics Chronicle podcast, host Adam Taylor broke down how the Celtics pivoted from their usual offensive approach to take advantage of Jayson Tatum’s shooting gravity in game five. Mazzulla had his team attacking down the wings more frequently, rather than penetrating from the top of the three-point line.

Boston’s slight tweak allowed the Celtics to jump out to a sustainable lead over Miami, making the close-out game less competitive than one would usually expect from a Heat team that made the NBA Finals last season.