Miami Heat: Is The Three-Point Line Breaking Basketball?

Max Strus #31 of the Miami Heat shoots a three pointer against the Boston Celtics in Game Two (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Max Strus #31 of the Miami Heat shoots a three pointer against the Boston Celtics in Game Two (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat and Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics look on in Game Two of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Miami Heat are chugging along, as the conference finals games are in full swing and for the most part, they have sucked. Four games in and two of the four clashes finished in 25-point blowouts, while another closed in a double-digit loss.

The only game that closed in a single-digit loss held massive swings from the first to second halves. And every game seemingly lives and dies at the arc.

The Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and Golden State Warriors make up the final four teams remaining. Each team is drastically different, from the roster’s makeup to the stars guiding them to how the coaches guide them through the postseason.

Despite the array of differences and what each team seemingly needs to find success, each outing continually is relegated to a team’s ability to score from the three-point line.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Miami surged back to win the game handily, outshooting the Celtics from three by nearly hitting 40 percent from deep (Boston shot 30 percent).

In Game 2 of the series, one could point to the return of Marcus Smart and Al Horford or the continued absence of Kyle Lowry as reasons for a lopsided Celtics win. But the obvious key to the game can be a check at the three-point shooting—Miami shot a despicable 29 percent to Boston’s 50 percent.

Need more evidence of this alarming trend? I got you.