Tonight is not a “must-win” for Boston. That’s not to say a loss would sit just fine with the Green.
Since 2007-08, the Celtics are 3-3 in series’ after dropping Game 1 and have not won a series after falling down 0-2 (which has, to their credit, only happened once during this period, coming against, you guessed it, Miami last year).
Boston’s resolve and grittiness will only get them so far in this 2012 postseason, however. Winning four of the next six games against the league’s MVP, who is starving for a ring, is a monumental task for a team that now looks its age.
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers even flirted with the idea of sitting Ray Allen for tonight’s game in order to get him an extra day of rest before Game 3.
“We’re even considering sitting him for a game, getting him a longer rest and then playing him, and then sitting him for (another) game. We don’t know what the right thing is,” Rivers told ESPN.
The depth chart at the 2-guard position for Boston is non-existent. Keyon Dooling, listed as a point guard, played 12 minutes Monday night, shooting 1-for-3 from the field with one assist and one foul for a -5 plus/minus.
Marquis Daniels, who is typically regarded as a small forward, played just two minutes in garbage time, tallying two points. Same type of story for Sasha Pavlovic, who went scoreless in four minutes.
Defensively, Boston had decent success with a 2-3 zone, forcing Miami to make shots from the perimeter. But one can bet that the Heat will find a quick solution to beating any sort of zone.
