The important thing Sport 2 storylines for the Celtics, Warmth, Pelicans and Thunder

The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, the 2 1-seeds within the 2024 NBA playoffs, each have 1-0 leads of their respective first-round collection, however that is nearly the place the similarities finish.

Boston dealt with its enterprise towards the Miami Warmth from the bounce in Sport 1, successful in a 114-94 rout. In the meantime the Thunder did not safe their Sport 1 win towards the New Orleans Pelicans till CJ McCollum’s last-second 3-pointer bounced off the again rim.

The 2 1-8 collection resume Wednesday evening, and our NBA insiders took a have a look at the most important storylines for every staff heading into Sport 2.

MORE: Full protection of 2024 NBA playoffs

Celtics do not wish to let up

After Tuesday’s follow, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla fielded a query: While you checked out tape of Sport 1, what, if something, did you notice might be achieved higher?

“Higher is doing what we [already] do with greater depth and better physicality,” Mazzulla stated.

It was a telling reply, and an sincere one.

The Celtics have been dominant of their collection opener towards No. 8 seed Miami, leaping out to a 14-point lead earlier than the Warmth even managed to attain and in the end successful by 20. After a efficiency like that, there actually is not a change in technique that is obligatory in the intervening time.

Mazzulla and the gamers as a substitute hung out speaking concerning the mentality that shall be obligatory to ensure they preserve this degree after the breezy Sport 1.

“In case you do not assume you are going to see a unique model of Miami, you are kidding your self,” Mazzulla stated.

The Warmth said the apparent throughout their follow, saying they’d search to trim the huge 3-point deficit that befell in Sport 1 — Boston tied a franchise playoff excessive with 22 made 3s. So the Celtics vowed to be able to reap the benefits of no matter beauty got here their approach because of this, be it from the paint or the midrange parts of the ground.

Usually talking, although, what Boston is gearing up for is a extra intense Miami membership.

“They’ll be hungry [and] determined,” Celtics taking pictures guard Jaylen Brown stated. “They’ll come out quick and aggressive, making an attempt to show us over. They’ll attempt to crash the glass onerous and be bodily, knock us to the bottom. They’ll wish to win the physicality battle.”

Brown and guard Payton Pritchard every stated ahead Caleb Martin’s late-game, midair collision with ahead Jayson Tatum — which triggered a short skirmish and double technical fouls — might need been a very good factor.

The incident appeared to invigorate the Celtics at a time the place they’d taken their foot off the pedal ever so barely after constructing a 34-point benefit earlier within the contest. “I feel we like that,” Pritchard stated. “It was a pleasure to see that, and what it should be like transferring ahead. We’re prepared for that take a look at and that physicality.” — Chris Herring

Warmth lack firepower to satisfy championship aspirations

The hallway wall outdoors of the house locker room inside Kaseya Middle is embellished with a colourful montage of a number of the biggest moments in Warmth franchise historical past. There are dozens of images from the three championship celebrations. There is a wall-sized picture of Dwyane Wade taking pictures a floater over Tim Duncan throughout the 2013 NBA Finals. There’s one other picture of Ray Allen taking pictures the nook 3-pointer that tied Sport 6 of the 2013 Finals.

And, in the midst of it, the phrase “CHAMPIONS” is emblazoned on the wall, the three years the Warmth reached the head of the NBA — 2006, 2012 and 2013 — written out under it.

It is an ever-present reminder for individuals who stroll by there — be it gamers, coaches, media, staffers or anybody else — that there has solely been one mission assertion for this franchise for the reason that second staff president Pat Riley set foot in South Florida almost 30 years in the past.

And, regardless of the Warmth’s latest monitor report, it is also one which this group is not going to have the ability to attain.

Within the weeks main as much as the playoffs, any coach, scout or government requested concerning the Warmth’s probabilities wasn’t able to rely them out, pointing to Miami advancing to a few convention finals and two NBA Finals throughout the earlier 4 years with most of this core — particularly, ahead Jimmy Butler — in place.

However Butler is not on the court docket, as an MCL sprain suffered per week in the past in Miami’s heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia 76ers within the play-in match knocked him out of the collection. Capturing guard Terry Rozier, the staff’s high acquisition forward of the commerce deadline, can be out of the lineup with a neck concern and likewise appears unlikely to play.

Sport 1 confirmed how massive of a problem it is going to be for Miami to make this collection aggressive towards the staff with the NBA’s finest report. The Celtics merely have an excessive amount of firepower for the Warmth to maintain up with, particularly down two key contributors.

Quickly, the collection shall be over, and the questions on this staff’s future will resurface. With just one assured yr left on his contract, will Butler get an extension — and what is going to occur if he would not? And, setting that apart, what can Miami do to spice up an offense that ranked twenty first within the NBA this season?

One factor is for sure: The Warmth will make no excuses as this collection continues, and coach Erik Spoelstra will say he has sufficient to compete. However with out Butler and Rozier, an already uphill climb has change into an unimaginable one. — Tim Bontemps

Thunder’s deep rotation nonetheless in flux

Because the top-seeded Thunder start what they hope shall be a protracted playoff run, essentially the most fascinating query is how Coach of the 12 months finalist Mark Daigneault’s rotation will shake out.

Daigneault used 11 gamers in Sunday’s Sport 1 win, essentially the most of any staff in a aggressive sport. That largely mirrored Daigneault’s regular-season rotation, which has featured six completely different reserves after the addition of veteran ahead Gordon Hayward on the commerce deadline.

“Everyone that got here in performed their position,” guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stated after Sport 1. “They gave good minutes. All 11 guys did their half, and that is the rationale why we gained tonight.”

Most notably, nonetheless, was the absence of beginning guard Josh Giddey on the finish of Oklahoma Metropolis’s 94-92 win. Giddey performed simply 20 minutes on an evening the place each different starter logged no less than 32.

Giddey’s inconsistent outdoors taking pictures (34% on 3-pointers this season) has at all times loomed as a possible playoff legal responsibility for the Thunder. Regardless of beginning all 80 video games he is performed, Giddey noticed his minutes per sport drop from 31.1 in 2022-23 to 25.1 this season. That decline was magnified late in video games, as Giddey performed simply 47% of what NBA Superior Stats defines as clutch minutes (sport inside 5 factors, final 5 minutes of regulation or additional time) — down from 69% a yr in the past.

In addition to Giddey’s personal limitations, the event of rookie guard Cason Wallace has given Daigneault an alternate down the stretch. The 20-year-old performed the majority of the final 4 minutes Sunday, buying and selling off with the staff’s finest shooter, Isaiah Joe. Wallace matched up with Pelicans guard McCollum on the sport’s remaining possession, forcing McCollum into an off-balance missed 3 on the buzzer.

So long as Oklahoma Metropolis is successful, Daigneault might not wish to mess with the system that led the Thunder to the very best report within the Western Convention this season. Oklahoma Metropolis’s typical beginning 5 that includes Giddey went 46-17 (.730) within the common season — 9 extra wins than another group of starters, per Basketball-Reference.com.

Down the street, nonetheless, changing Giddey is likely to be the Thunder’s pure adjustment when one thing goes mistaken. — Kevin Pelton

Pelicans looking for extra offense

New Orleans held the No. 1 seed within the Western Convention to 94 factors in Sport 1. As Pelicans ahead Larry Nance Jr. identified Tuesday after follow, that needs to be sufficient for a staff to get a victory. Sadly for the Pelicans, it wasn’t.

Thanks largely to the protection guard Luguentz Dort performed on ahead Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans ahead went 5-of-17 for simply 12 factors Sunday evening, and the Pelicans offense by no means appeared to get going within the two-point loss.

Nance stated the staff has a number of tips up its sleeve to get the offense going, but it surely’s clear one thing must occur.

The Pelicans received 24 factors off 18 offensive rebounds, going 9-of-17 off the second probabilities. However the staff shot 28-of-79 (35.4%) on its preliminary shot makes an attempt, a quantity that should enhance. Oklahoma Metropolis additionally outscored the Pelicans 20-7 in fast-break factors.

Each have been factors of emphasis in Tuesday’s follow, in accordance with Pelicans coach Willie Inexperienced.

“We actually checked out a few of our keys, holding them out of transition defensively and ensuring we end possessions,” Inexperienced stated. “I believed the second half they made a greater effort to go after the offensive glass… We had a very good follow at this time.”

In 4 video games since getting back from a bone bruise in his left knee, Ingram has averaged 15.0 factors on 43.1% taking pictures. He was 0-of-8 when Dort was the first defender, in accordance with ESPN Stats & Info.

Inexperienced stated the staff has to play with extra velocity and pressure in order that Dort cannot be as bodily with Ingram as he was in Sport 1. The Pelicans additionally have to get extra screens set for Ingram, Inexperienced stated, to attempt to free him up.

New Orleans must proceed to enhance its clutch offense to have an opportunity to steal a sport earlier than heading again residence for Sport 3. The Pelicans have been 0-22 within the common season getting into the fourth quarter with a deficit, and their 29 video games within the clutch have been the fewest within the NBA this season.

In Sport 1, the Pelicans have been 1-of-7 with 4 turnovers within the remaining 3:09 and did not rating a bucket between the three:34 mark till McCollum hit a layup with 26.5 seconds left.

New Orleans will even have to regulate to how the sport is being referred to as. The Pelicans tried 9 free throws Sunday, the fewest they’d tried in any sport this season. In addition they held the Thunder to simply 13 makes an attempt, tied for the fifth fewest for them in a sport all season.

“Oh that is basketball,” Nance stated. “Final sport, it took me a half to determine what are they going to name, what aren’t they going to name, what are they going to let go. And within the second half it was soccer. And I find it irresistible.” — Andrew Lopez