Miami Heat: 3 things to watch for in Game 2 against Boston Celtics

Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during tip-off in Game One. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during tip-off in Game One. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
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Miami Heat
Goran Dragic #7 of the Miami Heat sets up the play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Will Goran Dragic continue to outplay Kemba Walker in Game 2?

Quite possibly the biggest storyline from Game 1 of Miami and Boston isn’t Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo’s clutch pay, but Goran Dragic continuing to light it up for the Heat. The 34-year old point guard finished Tuesday night with 29 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

On the other side of the floor, the Celtics’ starting point guard, Kemba Walker continues to struggle. He finished with 19 points, six assists, and three rebounds in Game 1, but shot just six-of-19 from the floor and one-for-nine from behind the arc.

Both Dragic’s strong play and Kemba’s shooting struggle are recent developments for these teams. It seems that one is destined to give at some point, snapping back at a complete 180-degree turn and correcting course, whether for better or worse for Boston or Miami.

The Heat are going to need Dragic to continue outscoring Walker if they are to more comfortably put away the Celtics, and advance to their first NBA Finals since 2014. After Tuesday’s win, the point guard is averaging 21.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in the playoffs.

Watch for Dragic to continue to be a spark plug on offense for Miami in Game 2. Whether Walker’s struggles on that end of the ball will continue are (obviously) yet to be determined.