Celtics

Celtics are bracing for ‘hungry, desperate’ Heat response in Game 2

"They're going to be hungry, desperate, they're going to come out fast, even more aggressive."

By Khari Thompson

April 23, 2024

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Joe Mazzulla leaned forward slightly as he answered a question about his level of worry heading into the Celtics’ Game 2 battle against the Heat.

After matching Miami’s intensity to open the series with a 114-94 victory in Game 1, Mazzulla said he’s not worried about a letdown for Wednesday night’s game.

“Worry is a strong word,” Mazzulla said. “I think at the end of the day, you have to have a healthy approach to understanding that every game is going to be different. That’s what they game calls for, that’s what the series calls for.

“If you think you’re not going to see a different version of Mimai then you’re kidding yourself,” Mazzulla added. “At the end of the day it’s about giving what that game needs and having the expectation that it’s going to be a fight.”

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said he’s expecting Miami to play with desperation. A Miami loss would put the Heat in a 2-0 hole against Boston. A Heat win would even the series as it shifts to Miami for Game 3.

“They’re going to be hungry, desperate, they’re going to come out fast, even more aggressive,” Brown said. “They’re going to try to turn us over. Just trying to crash the glass hard, be physical even more, trying to knock us to the ground. Just trying to win that physicality match any way that they can. That’s what I foresee, but we’ll be ready.”

Things got chippy at the end of Game 1, when Miami’s Caleb Martin undercut a leaping Jayson Tatum. Tatum crashed to the floor but walked away uninjured.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he didn’t think the play was worth addressing.

“I get it, everybody gets emotional,” Spoelstra said. “If you ask fans on one side how they view the play, you ask fans on our side how they view the play and you’re going to get two totally different viewpoints on that. That’s the playoffs.

“That’s the fun part also for fanbases,” Spoelstra continued. “It was an irrational assessment on our view of what actually happened, and the players are fine. All the outside noise or anything like that is not going to decide this series or the game. This is good, clean, tough playoff basketball and it always has been with Boston and us. It’s not going over the top, the league doesn’t need to look anything more on either side. This is just tough competitive basketball, this is what everybody wants.”

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard said Boston is embracing physical plays such as the one Tatum and Martin were involved in.

“I think we like that. I think it was a joy to see that and what it’s going to be like going forward,” Pritchard said. “We’re ready for that physicality. You could even see when JT got up right away. It didn’t faze him. His teammates had his back. We’re just one big family. We take care of each other.”