3-point shooting still on Heat’s mind after Game 3 loss

Three-point shooting was at the center of the Miami Heat’s only win so far in its first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. But three-point shooting has also been one of the big talking points for the Heat after both of its losses during the series.

Three-point shooting is that important for the eighth-seeded Heat in its matchup against the topseeded Celtics.

“I feel like a lot of our guys passed up open threepoint shots that they should have shot,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said after Saturday night’s 20point home loss in Game 3. “We weren’t doing that in Game 2. Everybody was letting it fly and we were living with the result. I feel like once you get down six or seven, you can’t not shoot the ball.”

The Heat finished Saturday just 9 of 28 (32.1 percent) from three-point range after shocking the Celtics in Boston behind a historic three-point shooting display in Game 2.

But the Heat’s threepoint makes and attempts were way down on Saturday (14 fewer makes and 15 fewer attempts in Game 3 than in Game 2), as the Celtics tweaked its defensive strategy to contest more three-point looks and take away some of the clean opportunities from behind the arc.

Still, Heat players walked away from Game 3 feeling like there was room to put up more threes just like they did after the first game of the series. Miami shot 12 of 37 (32.4 percent) from three-point range in Game 1.

“They did a good job of taking away some good looks and contesting good looks,” Heat forward Caleb Martin said after Game 3. “But I think overall, it’s just a mindset of just letting the ones go that we did have and not passing it up. Just giving ourselves a chance to get a couple of those to go in.”

In order for the Heat to have a real chance to beat the Celtics, the numbers show high volume and efficient three-point shooting is almost mandatory. Only one team beat the Celtics this season when shooting worse than 38 percent from three-point range on fewer than 30 three-point attempts: the Denver Nuggets.

Of the Celtics’ 18 losses this regular season, 10 came with its opponent shooting better than 38 percent on threes while also taking more than 30 three-point attempts.

That’s because the math it takes to defeat the highscoring Celtics usually doesn’t work unless threepoint shots are going. Boston became one of only three teams in NBA history this season to shoot better than 38 percent from behind the arc while also taking more than 42 threes per game during an entire regular season.

The Celtics tilted the math in their favor by making the necessary adjustments to better defend the three-point line in Game 3. After generating 23 “wide open” three-point shots (when the closest defender is more than 6 feet away) in Game 2, the Heat generated just 13 “wide open” threes Saturday, according to NBA tracking stats.

“Honestly, I think the [three-point] shots are still there,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said. “I have to do a better job of creating and making the right decisions when I get into the paint, the same with Bam, and just continue to make the right play like I’ve said this whole series. Guys just have to shoot the ball.

They are open and we just got to let it ride and let it go.”

MARTIN’S ADJUSTMENT

As the Heat works to make adjustments ahead of Game 4, Martin is also looking to make his own adjustment following a quiet Game 3.

After scoring 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting on threes in Game 2, Martin totaled five points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting on threes Saturday.

“I think there were sometimes I passed up shots,” Martin said. “I felt like I was trying to get the ball moving a little bit more, being a little bit less aggressive in letting it go. So that’s on me. I can’t be as passive. I got to let the ball go.”

Martin will try to “just be assertive and not be passive” on both ends of the court Monday.

“I think I got to set a certain tone defensively from the very jump, too,” he said. “I got to find a way to get my guys going and bring that spark that I typically try to bring every night. So I got to do a better job and impact the team right away.”

Anthony Chiang: 305-376-4991, @Anthony_Chiang

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FIRST ROUND

(Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

BOSTON 2, MIAMI 1

G1: Boston 114, Miami 94

G2: Miami 111, Boston 101

G3: Boston 104, Miami 84

Monday: at Miami, 7:30

Wednesday: at Boston, 7:30 x-Friday, May 3: at Miami, TBD x-Sunday, May 5: at Boston, TBD

NEW YORK 3, PHILADELPHIA 1

G1: New York 111, Philadelphia 104

G2: New York 104, Philadelphia 101

G3: Philadelphia 125, New York 114 Sunday: New York 97, Philadelphia 92 Tuesday: at New York, TBD x-Thursday: at Philadelphia, TBD x-Saturday, May 4: at New York, TBD

INDIANA 2, MILWAUKEE 1

G1: Milwaukee 109, Indiana 94

G2: Indiana 125, Milwaukee 108

G3: Indiana 121, Milwaukee 118 (OT) Sunday: at Indiana

Tuesday: at Milwaukee, TBD x-Thursday: at Indiana, TBD x-Saturday, May 4: at Milwaukee, TBD

CLEVELAND 2, ORLANDO 2

G1: Cleveland 97, Orlando 83

G2: Cleveland 96, Orlando 86

G3: Orlando 121, Cleveland 83

G4: Orlando 112, Cleveland 89

Tuesday: at Cleveland, TBD

Friday, May 3: at Orlando, TBD x-Sunday, May 5: at Cleveland, TBD

WESTERN CONFERENCE

OKLAHOMA CITY 3, NEW ORLEANS 0

G1: Oklahoma City 94, New Orleans 92 G2: Oklahoma City 124, New Orleans 92 G3: Oklahoma City 105, New Orleans 85 Monday: at New Orleans, 8:30 x-Wednesday, May 1: at Oklahoma City, 8:30 x-Friday, May 3: at -New Orleans, TBD x-Sunday, May 5: at Oklahoma City, TBD

DENVER 3, L.A. LAKERS 1

G1: Denver 114, L.A. Lakers 103

G2: Denver 101, L.A. Lakers 99

G3: Denver 112, L.A. Lakers 105

G4: L.A. Lakers 119, Denver 108 Monday: at Denver, 10 x-Thursday: at L.A. Lakers, TBD x-Saturday, May 4: at Denver, TBD

MINNESOTA 3, PHOENIX 0

G1: Minnesota 120, Phoenix 95

G2: Minnesota 105, Phoenix 93

G3: Minnesota 126, Phoenix 109 Sunday: at Phoenix x-Tuesday: at Minnesota, TBD x-Thursday: at Phoenix, TBD x-Saturday, May 4: at Minnesota, TBD

DALLAS 2, L.A. CLIPPERS 2

G1: L.A. Clippers 109, Dallas 97

G2: Dallas 96, L.A. Clippers 93

G3: Dallas 101, L.A. Clippers 90

Sunday: L.A. Clippers 115, Dallas 111 Wednesday: at L.A. Clippers, 10

Friday, May 3: at Dallas, TBD x-Sunday, May 5: at L.A. Clippers, TBD