Boston 101, Miami 91

[recap] [box score]

Going to do just a few quick points, since I didn't get a chance to post after the game last night:

1. Huge contribution in this one from Marquis Daniels, who basically has been out of the rotation ever since we got Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley stepped up. Daniels was part of the second unit that took control of this game at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, and with Brandon Bass in foul trouble, was on the court for much of the stretch when Boston's lead ballooned as high as 24 in the third quarter. Daniels biggest contribution was probably defensively; LeBron James scored his share of points when Daniels was checking him, but those points did not come easily. Offensively, Daniels doesn't have the range Pietrus supposedly has, but his knack of finding the open spot moving off the ball -- something sorely lacking ever since Bradley was shut down -- was crucial to the Celtics' offensive success. I expect we'll see more of him.

2. Keyon Dooling's ball pressure off the bench during that same first half stretch was crucial. Miami didn't score for like seven minutes while Boston ripped off a 15-0 run, and Dooling's perimeter defense should get a lot of credit for taking the Heat out of an offensive rhythm that had put up 28 points in the first 9 and a half minutes.

3. It's rare that the bench -- particularly one as weak as Boston's -- is the difference in a playoff game, but these are unusual circumstances. With Chris Bosh out, Miami's been going small, and that means Brandon Bass has to chase guys out on the perimeter, which got him into foul trouble. Daniels and Pietrus replaced him, and in effect became "starters." I expect we'll see more of Daniels moving forward.

4. Dooling and Daniels scored some points, but their defense was really the big key. Boston had played fairly terribly on defense in the early minutes, and Dooling's tenacity, especially, changed the defensive tone of the game.

5. Boston went to Kevin Garnett early and often, which was key. And the officials finally recognized that Miami has been holding and grabbing KG as he tries to get position. If that trend continues, KG will be close to unstoppable.

6. Rajon Rondo's numbers aren't nearly as gaudy as they were in Game 2, but he made a number of momentum-shifting plays. I thought his layup in transition in the closing minutes was huge. The Heat had shifted to a super-small lineup with James at the 5, which not only spread the Celtics thin on defense, but also induced them into walking the ball up and trying to exploit size mismatches in the post -- a strategy which, surprise, didn't really work.

7. For the most part, Boston turned James and Dwyane Wade into jump shooters. James was red-hot to start, but even as he was draining jumper after jumper, I was thinking that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing -- that it might induce the Heat to fall in love with the long game and not take advantage of their ability to penetrate and the favorable treatment they get from the officials. We've had success doing this in the past, and it will be crucial to continue to do so moving forward.

8. One thing that needs to be fixed is Boston's transition defense. Miami burned us for easy layups several times in the first quarter, even after Boston hoops, and it's been a problem all series. It's inexcusable for a team that sends as few people to the offensive glass as Boston does. One problem is that as Rondo has become more of a scoring threat, the rest of the team hasn't adjusted to need to balance the floor, but really, just making a concerted effort to not let someone run by you and way downcourt is probably the only fix necessary.

9. Game 4 is Sunday, same bad time, same bad place. Game 3 means nothing if we don't win the next one.