MIAMI — As the Boston Celtics have learned with Grant Williams’ bravado against Jimmy Butler in these Eastern Conference finals, you don’t poke the bear.
So when it comes to Jayson Tatum’s fourth-quarter struggles in what now stands as a 2-0 Celtics deficit in the best-of-seven series, the Miami Heat are neither taking credit nor accepting it as a talking point.
Even with his 30 points in the Celtics’ 123-116 Game 1 loss, Tatum did not attempt a shot in that fourth quarter, with three turnovers in the period.
Then, in his 34-point performance in the Celtics’ 111-105 Game 2 loss Friday night that dropped them to 0-2 at TD Garden in the series, Tatum was 0 for 3 from the field in the fourth quarter, with two turnovers.
Still, no chest puffing from the Heat, nothing like the Celtics’ Williams daring Butler to beat Boston on Friday night and then watching Butler beat Boston.
“I don’t like thinking about that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the narrative of Tatum as ineffective closer in the series. “He’s a great player. I mentioned that at the top of this series. He’s one of the best players on this planet that play with that round ball.
“You know, sometimes it’s make or miss in this league. We’re aware of, if you think that he’s going to keep on — if he’s going to miss at some points in the game, we know what he can do in the fourth quarter. We were watching that previous series. He’s a great player. He deserves the respect of our efforts to try to make it tough.”
While Butler has opened defensively against Tatum in the series’ first two games, it has largely been defense by committee.
“He’s one of the best scorers in the league,” Heat forward Caleb Martin said. “We just do anything that we can to throw bodies at him and give him different looks and different coverages.”
Tatum, who was coming off a 51-point performance in last Sunday’s Game 7 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, said he finds himself more as a late-game facilitator. Or at least attempting to facilitate.
“Playing more point and making plays,” he said. “Obviously, I draw a lot of attention, so creating for others. Sometimes shots just don’t go in. We generated some good shots and I think we got some really good looks.”
Tatum said he expected better for Boston as the series shifts to Kaseya Center for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday night.
“They came in and won two games,” he said of the Heat. “They played well. You give them credit. But we’re not dead or anything. We got a great opportunity. I still have the utmost confidence, everybody has the utmost confidence. We just got to get ready for Game 3.”
With a twist
The Heat have created considerable Celtics consternation with their zone defense, which was particularly the case during Friday night’s decisive closing stages.
“They do a good job of mixing up of when they go zone, and when they go man,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said. “They keep you on the toes with the people that they got on the floor.
“We just haven’t figured it out in terms of how to exploit it every single time down the floor. We got to recognize certain situations, and credit to them defensively. They have been able to hide some of their guys defensively in order to slow us down on offense.”
Spoelstra downplayed the zone as panacea.
“When you play against great teams, very good teams like we’re facing, Boston, you just have to do whatever is necessary,” he said. “It’s not about the schematics or the Xs and Os. You can invent a new defense, but if you’re not committed to doing tough things – that’s what this is about, doing tough things.”
Statement made
Following the Heat’s Game 1 victory, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo chided each other about perceived superior passing skills. In Game 2, Adebayo offered his own statement with a game-high nine assists.
“Like I said before, before Kyle was hating that one time,” the Heat center said with a smile, “I’m a great passer.”
With his 22 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists in Game 2, Adebayo became the third Heat player with at least 20-15-5 in a playoff game, joining LeBron James, who did it four times, and Shaquille O’Neal, who did it once.
“Spo gave me ultimate clarity, ‘Be you,’ Adebayo said. “For me, that’s simple enough. He wants me to be aggressive and he wants me to score.”
Butler’s choice
As Butler explained after Friday’s game, his control of the play list in the locker room has been a given this season.
That had him entering his postgame media session playing Morgan Wallen, “Somebody’s Problem.”
“It’s a hit in the locker room right now,” Butler said. “But honestly speaking, I think I’m kind of like the DJ, so I get to pick and choose what we listen to. If it’s not him, it’s Dermot Kennedy. Might be some gospel in there, who knows?”
