As The Miami Heat look to take the second of the first two games as well in Boston during these 2022 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, they have a lot to consider. First, there is Jimmy Butler.
With him reportedly set to give it a go in Game 4, the Miami Heat have a chance to walk into Boston and do something pretty decisive. That fact has to be second.
If they can take both games in their place, that would give the Miami Heat three chances to eliminate Boston with two games in their place and two of those games without fear of elimination themselves.
In the grand scheme of it all, if the Miami Heat can put themselves in that situation, you should have full confidence that they can win one of three games. Among many other things to consider but most importantly for Game 4 is this.
How do they win it? Well, there are several ways to do it, all of them including a multitude of deployments, however, based on Game 3 and the way it went, there is one thing that should certainly be deployed in Game 4.
With a Miami Heat opportunity to take firm control of the ECF Monday, Victor Oladipo should have a chance to cover Jaylen Brown. He was effective in Game 3.
Victor Oladipo must have his time guarding Jaylen Brown.
— Victor Oladipo (@VicOladipo) May 22, 2022
Heck, based on what you saw late in Game 3, perhaps he should come in just to guard him for stretches.
If you are being completely frank about it, Dipo shut Brown Down a lot. He forced him into turnovers and even stayed right in front of him when he didn’t actually take the ball away.
On top of the sheer magnitude of taking the ball, possession, and thus scoring opportunities away from the opposition, the timing of Dipo’s plays on Brown made them game-changing defensive plays. Those are the ones that really impact the results.
That’s the reason that you must retest Jaylen Brown with Oladipo on Monday. You have to see if there is something there with Oladipo on Brown or if he just had his number that night.
Brown has hit a ton of tough shots in this series and though he could be called for a few different violations on most possessions, he’s made good on them this series. If the Oladipo factor can slow that down, why not do it?