Miami Heat: Jae Crowder has got to keep shooting the basketball
One of the Miami Heat’s better three-point shooters, Jae Crowder has got to keep shooting the ball if he wants to break his slump in this series.
The Miami Heat are cruising in the playoffs, now having won 11 of 13 games this postseason, sitting just one win away from an appearance in the 2020 NBA Finals. They beat the Boston Celtics 112-107 in Game 4 on Wednesday night, rebounding from a Game 3 loss.
One concern for this Heat team as they prepare for a potential Finals series with one of the Los Angeles Lakers or Denver Nuggets? Crowder’s previously fire hot shooting has run cold. He’s connected on just six-of-27 attempts from behind the arc over the last three games.
Prior to the last three games, Crowder had connected on 35 of his last 84 attempts in these playoffs, equaling out to a 42 percent shooting average. Which begs the question of what’s changed in this series that’s seen the veteran lose his shooting touch?
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The honest answer is nothing. As all great shooters do, Crowder is going through a slump, albeit of a larger magnitude than most. But Miami isn’t doing anything different, they’re still running the same plays that find him open in the corners and along the wing.
Crowder is just missing his shots. And the only way he’s going to get back to his rhythm from deep is to keep shooting the basketball. He’s certainly trying, given the fact that he’s attempted 27 three-pointers between Games 2 and 4 against the Boston Celtics.
It’s also possible that the team’s poor shooting effort as a whole is to credit for Crowder’s slump. Miami is shooting just 33 percent from deep in this Eastern Conference Finals series. The Celtics’ defense has been engaged, and the Heat have been dropping a lot of open looks.
Jae Crowder has been one of the Miami Heat’s better three-point shooters since the NBA’s restart. Look for him and the team to regain their rhythm at some point in this series, or potentially the 2020 NBA Finals. The only way out is in, so they’ve got to keep shooting.
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Jae Crowder and the Miami Heat will look to put away the Boston Celtics on Friday, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and advance to their first title appearance since 2014. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 pm EST, and coverage will be provided by ESPN.