Five takeaways from last night’s loss to the Celtics.

Miami lost to the Celtics last night 105–107.

1. A very slow start.

Miami began the game off to a slow start. The Celtics ran up a 16–7 lead before Miami was able to adapt to their dynamic offense. At the end of the 1st qtr, Miami trailed the Celtics 34–26.

Three of Miami’s losses this season (Bucks, Mavs, Celtics) came after trailing big in the first quarter. Miami must be efficient from the start of the game to close out teams faster and not have to spend so much energy attempting to recover all game long.

2. Jimmy Butler was more aggressive.

We saw a different Jimmy Butler than we had seen all season long for Miami out there. Butler, still recovering from an ankle injury which has been a hindrance to him since the Finals, was more aggressive off the dribble and attacked the rim more often. Jimmy finished with 26pts, his season-high, adding 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.

3. Dragic is a huge motivator for this team coming off the bench.

When Dragic is ON this team is on, when Dragic is off Miami struggles. Dragic scored only 14pts today on a bad shooting night, scoring 5 out of 12. His +/- was a -8. It’s clear that when Dragic comes into the game as a sixth man and does well, Miami fares well in contests. When he doesn’t, the team struggles to feel cohesive out on the floor and often fumbles plenty of possessions.

4. Our shooters MUST develop their game to be able to move quickly and attack the basket when defended up top.

One key weakness that Miami had last night was shooters getting caught up up top and having no other option but to pass the ball, often causing a turnover or a missed possession. Robinson was able to score 7pts in 3 mins in the final minutes of yesterday’s game but other than that most of our shooters were off last night, with Herro only scoring 1 three-pointer and Dragic as well.

5. Off-the-dribble defense must be improved.

The Heat got beat plenty of times off-the-dribble. Miami’s defense was slacking behind all game long and Boston’s dynamic offense was what closed out the game with rookie Payton Pritchard, who hit the game-winner.

Written by Abner Perez, HeatProud Founder, and Writer.