Three observations from the Miami Heat’s 124-103 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday night, their sixth in a row.
1. Pelle Larsson finishing through contact
It’s rare you see a rookie wing finish through contact. Mostly because they are, like, smaller than the grown men they are playing against. Don’t tell that to Pelle Larsson, who went chest-to-chest with Jayson Tatum in mid-air and made the layup.
Believe it or not, Larsson is only three years younger than Tatum. He’s old for a rookie. But this finish is still impressive. He had a dunk a minute before this. Underrated athlete.
2. Tyler Herro slowing it down
Since Erik Spoelstra decided to bring Davion Mitchell off the bench and yank Terry Rozier from the rotation altogether, Herro has been the team’s de facto starting point guard. He had nine assists as he carved up Boston’s defense. This was my favorite.
This is one of Miami’s pet actions: The center pitches it back to the guard, and that flows into a pick-and-roll. It’s a growth off of Miami’s dribble handoff action meant to push tempo. In other words, you’re supposed to go fast.
But Herro slows it down, if only for a split second. Adebayo lingers on the screen for a beat so he’s not quite ready for the pass back at the free-throw line. Herro doesn’t rush. He puts his defender on his hip (notice how he takes a wide stance), holds Boston’s center with his dribble, and then hits Adebayo in his sweet spot.
You hear about the game slowing down for players. This is what that means.
3. A Slow Mo classic
I mean…
This is why Kyle Anderson is nicknamed “Slow Mo.” No gas, all angles and elbows.