Celtics rally from 22 down in Vucevic’s debut to beat Heat: 6 takeaways

Nikola Vucevic’s debut remodeled from a dour affair into one of the crucial electrical atmospheres of the season because the Celtics rallied to beat the Warmth 98-96 on Friday. 

Listed below are the takeaways. 

Nikola Vucevic goes to assist

Vucevic got here off the bench behind a double-big lineup (a lineup that Joe Mazzulla hinted may need been a foul concept) to document an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double in his first Celtics recreation.

The Celtics have been more likely to attempt to purchase one other huge man in some capability earlier than the deadline, and that huge man wanted to be each helpful and notably cheaper than Anfernee Simons because the Celtics tried to duck below the tax. Vucevic match the invoice financially, and his efficiency Friday provided a variety of hints about his usefulness.

To start with, Vucevic is a publish presence that the Celtics merely haven’t had, no less than on the heart place, and the Celtics provide spacing that Vucevic might solely dream of in Chicago. Vucevic is aggressive at sealing mismatches when he can drive a guard right into a change within the pick-and-roll, and all three of his second-half baskets got here across the rim. The final basket was, maybe, notably encouraging — he sealed Jaime Jacquez Jr. completely, and Derrick White threw a pin-point go for the bucket. Vucevic and White confirmed the beginnings of some pick-and-roll chemistry.

“We get a really feel for it fairly fast, determine it out — roll, pops, all totally different conditions,” Vucevic mentioned afterward.

Vucevic can be a high-level passer — instinctive and quick-thinking, with spectacular imaginative and prescient. He was unselfish to a fault at instances on Friday (comprehensible for a participant making an attempt to make a superb impression on a brand new crew), however his first help was an ideal learn discovering Baylor Scheierman floating to the 3-point line for a 3-pointer, and his fourth and closing help discovered Derrick White flashing to the nook for what turned out to be the game-winning triple with 1:30 left. 

The Celtics nonetheless have a variety of untapped potentialities with Vucevic — he is an effective 3-point shooter, so count on loads of pick-and-pop motion along with his pick-and-roll sealing. When he pops, he can both shoot or make high-low passes. On Friday, he confirmed what he can do within the brief roll as a passer too.

“I can already see sure issues that we run and sure issues we do the place I’ll be capable to nonetheless discover my actions and nonetheless be aggressive and do various things,” Vucevic mentioned.

“I believed tonight clearly they switched loads. I used to be capable of get a few seals. A few of them I used to be capable of rating. A few of them have been capable of kick out once they collapsed, and issues like that. I feel video games shall be totally different primarily based on what groups do towards us.”

The Celtics began fairly badly

We in all probability don’t want to deal with a lot in regards to the first half apart from to notice that the Celtics didn’t seem like a crew with a win of their sneakers for the primary two quarters. 

The Celtics opened the sport a staggering 1-for-20 from the ground from 3-point vary. They might not discover the vary, and Miami took a 21-point lead into the break. 

Within the NBA, an enormous first-half lead often faces a run of some variety within the second half, and whether or not the crew with the large lead wins often hinges on how shortly they’ll staunch the bleeding. Jaylen Brown got here out of the break with a head of steam, however the Warmth answered his mini-run by pushing it again to 19. 

Then the Celtics hit a flurry of 3-pointers, TD Backyard woke all the way in which up, and the Warmth couldn’t get their wound patched till the Celtics had taken a two-point lead close to the tip of the third quarter on a pair of free throws by Derrick White. 

“We’re a crew,” Brown mentioned. “We’ve been constructing chemistry. All people has leaned in from the start of the yr, and if you’re on the identical web page, you belief and imagine in one another, and also you empower one another, that’s half the battle. 

“We get alongside. We like taking part in with one another. We play the sport the fitting method, so that may carry you on the times that you just won’t be taking part in so nicely, or issues won’t be going your method. You’re all the time within the recreation, you’re all the time within the battle, if you play like a crew, and we’ve been taking part in like a crew all season.”

A pleasant Payton Pritchard second

Pritchard is a monster off the bench, and he sparked the Celtics’ third-quarter rally with considered one of his patented runs during which he turns into primarily unguardable for a number of minutes. 

His second discipline objective of the sport got here with 5:29 remaining within the third — a 3-pointer that minimize the result in 15. 

Over the subsequent 11 minutes of recreation time, Pritchard scored 16 extra factors. He hit step-back 3-pointers. He discovered his approach to the rim (as solely he’s able to doing). He capped all of it off by pivoting his method round and thru Davion Mitchell for a layup. 

However one sequence stood out specifically. It wasn’t his and-one layup over Warmth sequoia tree Kel’el Ware late within the third, though Pritchard bellowing on the crowd after the bucket confirmed that Friday’s recreation meant one thing to him. 

Somewhat, it was a sequence that occurred halfway via the fourth when he and Warmth star Norman Powell began going forwards and backwards. Pritchard was already borderline unstoppable at this level, and Powell had briefly gotten into issues with Hugo González as the 2 battled for a jumpball. After that, Powell hit a 3-pointer on one possession and drove proper by González on one other, making a 3-pointer for Andrew Wiggins. The Celtics have been struggling mightily to gradual Powell, and the Warmth might do nothing about Pritchard. For a number of possessions, their showdown was a 1-on-1 battle. 

Pritchard gained it. He drilled a 3-pointer proper within the Warmth guard’s face on a step-back jumper. Powell obtained the ball on the opposite finish, and he discovered himself matched up with Pritchard in return, because the TD Backyard crowd rose in anticipation of the 1-on-1.

Pritchard held his floor as the group roared. When Bam Adebayo got here out to attempt to display screen him off, Pritchard tipped the ball away from Powell, who was pressured to retrieve it within the backcourt and get it to Adebayo, who missed the mid-range jumper. 

The TD Backyard crowd — which drew reward from Mazzulla and a number of gamers postgame — appreciated the mini-moment immensely.

“[Pritchard] seems nice,” Brown mentioned. “He’s an enormous purpose why we got here again in tonight’s recreation. So having the ability to have him, get him going, and many others. is a key a part of our offense.”

Joe Mazzulla did an excessive amount of

Mazzulla reprimanded himself in his post-game feedback, saying he tried to organize an excessive amount of for all of the adjustments to the roster.

“I form of put the fellows in a troublesome spot to start out the sport, simply processing all of the what-if eventualities, and thought we have been simply form of slowed down by these issues, and it form of impacted it,” Mazzulla mentioned. “As soon as we simply form of simplified it, and as soon as the sport went on and we have been capable of see these reads, I believed the fellows did a a lot better job.”

One such instance: The double-big lineup that began the sport, with Neemias Queta and Luka Garza. That duo labored nicely towards Houston in Wednesday’s blowout, however the Celtics couldn’t recapture the magic, and Mazzulla mentioned he was in charge for his over-preparation as Vucevic arrived.

“I feel you’ll be able to overthink,” Mazzulla mentioned, however he added, “I don’t actually imagine in simplifying it. We’ve obtained to discover a approach to make the advanced easy.”

Derrick White bounced again impressively

Maybe greater than anybody else, White was nicely on his approach to a forgettable efficiency after the primary half on Friday: 2-for-11 and 0-for-6 from three. As soon as once more, he was good at all the things else — he already had three blocks because the groups went to interrupt — however the Celtics have been 1-for-20 from deep, and he was one of many important culprits. 

Within the second half, White didn’t let his defensive depth slip, however his offense got here round totally. He scored 17 factors on 4-for-9, making 4-for-6 from 3-point vary and selecting up one other block and a steal for good measure. His nook 3-pointer late within the third tied the sport for the primary time, capping the Celtics’ run to get again into the sport. His 3-pointer from the opposite nook late within the fourth finally led to the Celtics’ win. His block with 33 seconds remaining prevented Davion Mitchell from equalizing. 

White doesn’t all the time have an enormous recreation, however he’s unquestionably a big-moment participant. 

“D-White has an ideal understanding of taking part in alongside nice guys,” Mazzulla mentioned. “He is aware of when to let JB do his factor. He is aware of when to let Payton do his factor, and he is aware of when to insert himself. It’s a steadiness, however I believed he did an ideal job of that tonight.”

What’s subsequent (and the Celtics are again in second)

Notably, the Pistons stomped everywhere in the Knicks, snapping New York’s streak of eight wins in a row, which gave the Celtics sole possession of second place within the Jap Convention. 

Sunday’s 12:30 p.m. recreation now carries a variety of weight: If the Knicks win, they might take a 2-1 lead within the season collection and would draw even once more within the standings. If the Celtics win, they (clearly) take a 2-1 lead within the season collection … and they’d pull two video games forward because the All-Star break looms.

The Celtics have two days off for the primary time in fairly some time after their showdown with the Knicks. They are going to shut their pre-All-Star schedule by internet hosting the Bulls on Wednesday.