Jaylen Brown didn’t know exactly what happened when he witnessed his Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum take a hard foul from Caleb Martin of the Heat and fall to the floor during Boston’s first-round series-opening win over Miami on Sunday.
“When you see a player go down, you always have your teammate’s back,” Brown said on Tuesday. “In the heat of the moment, it’s hard to judge. It seemed like there was some extra contact, so I spoke up. But it seemed like it was just part of the game, not intentional. So, we just moved forward.”
The playoffs have seen an increase in physicality, with referees allowing more contact, which has frustrated some players like the 76ers and LeBron James. However, the Celtics are embracing this style of play.
Boston aims to maintain their physical edge over Miami in Game 2 on Wednesday, while also expecting adjustments from a Heat team that struggled offensively without Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck).
In Game 1, the Celtics used their trademark strategy of shooting a lot of three-pointers, which helped them build a sizable lead over the Heat.
“We have to expect Miami to come out differently in Game 2,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged the need to address the difference in three-point shooting, as Boston attempted far more threes than Miami in Game 1.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder hope for a less tense game after narrowly winning their opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Although the Pelicans played without star Zion Williamson, they controlled much of the game’s pace. The Thunder relied on a strong performance from MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to secure the win.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault noted that while their offense wasn’t as effective as desired, it was a promising start for a team with seven players experiencing their first playoff game.
