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Chris Herring, ESPN Senior Writer
BOSTON — One game into their first-round series with the Boston Celtics, the underdog Miami Heat realize they can’t afford to be outshot from the 3-point line nearly as drastically as they were Sunday.
Boston, which had the league’s highest 3-point attempt rate by far during the regular season, hit a franchise playoff record 22 3-pointers in Game 1. Every single Celtics player who took the court finished with at least one 3-pointer, the first time in NBA history a team has accomplished that feat in a playoff game.
Through three quarters Sunday, Boston was outscoring Miami by 42 points from the 3-point stripe, and had more threes in that third period (seven) than the Heat had for the entire game to that point (five).
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said that closing the gap would require both a concerted offensive and defensive effort.
“I understand the math to it: You don’t want to lose in a certain area by 30 points,” he said Tuesday, one day before the teams square off for Game 2. “It’s probably going to require some balance, because we’re not going to bring them down to 25 [attempts], and we’re not going to shoot 50 of them — that’s not realistic.”
Miami sharpshooter Duncan Robinson echoed the thought.
“We realize we’re not gonna necessarily take as many as them, but the discrepancy can’t be what it was in Game 1,” Robinson said.
The Heat’s challenge, of course, is twofold. For starters, Miami is still without two of its best playmakers — Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier are dealing with knee and neck injuries, respectively — who would generally help free up more drive-and-kick looks from the outside.
In terms of Miami’s defensive approach, it’s likely far easier said than done to minimize Boston’s perimeter offense.
With the addition of Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have a five-out lineup, allowing them to space the floor in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to limit their attempts. That becomes even more true if an opponent wants to gamble by occasionally throwing multiple defenders at All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum.
In Game 1, Boston feasted in situations where Tatum got doubled. The Celtics shot 5-for-9 overall and 4-for-7 from 3 when Tatum passed out of those situations, according to ESPN Stats & Information. In general, the Celtics shot 7-of-12 from the arc off passes directly from Tatum.
Boston reserve Payton Pritchard said he and his teammates would simply have to adjust and take the drives and midrange looks that become available if Miami sells out on defending the 3-point line.
“We have to just take what the defense gives us,” Pritchard said after the Celtics’ workout Tuesday afternoon. “We have a lot of different options, and that’s what makes us hard to guard.”
Source: www.espn.com