The Miami Heat followed a Game 1 blowout with a surprising Game 2 win in Boston, and in Game 4 on Monday, they will try to respond similarly to a Game 3 loss.
Here are three things the Heat need to do to bounce back in Game 4.
1. Get up more 3-pointers
Miami’s lone win in the series came when they made more than 50% of their 43 3-point attempts in Game 2. But they followed that up by attempting just 28 3s in Game 3. This may sound trite, but the Heat can’t make more 3s if they don’t take them.
The Heat can’t rely on inefficient mid-range shooting against a Celtics team that led the league in offensive rating. They need to let it fly, and they know it.
“I feel like a lot of our guys passed up open three-point shots that they should have shot,” Bam Adebayo said after practice on Sunday.
Credit to the Celtics for adjusting their game plan in Game 3. They did a better job of running the Heat’s shooters off the line, but the Heat still passed up half a dozen shots they should have taken.
Even on a play like this, it’s hard to knock Jaime Jaquez Jr. for getting downhill off this Bam Adebayo screen. It’s the right basketball play. But the right basketball play might not be right for this series. Jaquez could have pulled up for a 3 off the screen. Jaylen Brown might have bothered Jaquez from behind, but Miami’s shooters have to take the semi-contested ones.