2. Controlling the glass
Miami got killed on the glass in Game 1’s 20-point blowout loss in Boston. The second-chance opportunities were destroying each and every time the Heat got some momentum going. Although the Celtics didn’t capitalize on those extra chances as much as they should have, they still won the rebounding battle 44-34. They had 10 offensive rebounds compared to the Heat’s 5.
It was a different story in Game 2. The Heat had the 40-39 edge on the glass and only gave up six offensive boards to their four. Now this starts with the starting frontcourt duo of Adebayo and Nikola Jovic. They recorded 19 rebounds as a duo compared to 12 combined during Sunday’s loss.
That increased aggression is huge for a pair of guys that are repping the most minutes as the biggest guys on the court for Miami.