Why the Boston Celtics should keep this core together, plus Tyler Herro updates

This is the digital version of The Bounce.
If you want it earlier, start every day with The Bounce delivered to your inbox. Sign up here.

Nikola Jokić has just been riding horses and awaiting his next victim for the NBA Finals. Good luck to Bam Adebayo and Co.

Miami Maintains Status Quos

Heat avoid historic collapse

The Celtics sought NBA history with their 0-3 comeback, but luck was not on their side. Neither were the Heat, who handed Boston a 103-84 Game 7 home loss. Their season-ending defeat makes the Celtics the 151st NBA team in 151 attempts to lose a playoff series after trailing 0-3. You normally wouldn’t blame a team for failing to overcome such a deficit. Baseball has seen it happen only once, and it’s barely happened in hockey. But the Boston Red Sox’s historic comeback in 2004 provided some belief it could also happen in the NBA.

Just days ago, Jaylen Brown told reporters, “It means nothing if we come and lay an egg on our home floor.” The Celtics did just that in Game 7 after dominating Games 4 and 5 before a last-second savior moment from Derrick White won Game 6. The Heat won Game 7 with brilliant defense, timely shots and keeping Boston from ever applying pressure in the series’ final moments.

Jimmy Butler won Eastern Conference Finals MVP with averages of 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.6 steals in 39.6 minutes with shooting splits of 42 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3 and 83 percent from the free-throw line. But maybe Caleb Martin should have earned the honors. Martin had 26 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in Game 7, leaving his series averages at 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds with 60/49/88 shooting splits for the series. When other players (see: Adebayo, Bam) seemed hesitant to score and complement Butler, Martin stepped up with timely shot after timely shot.

The Heat shot 50 percent from deep on 28 attempts while the Celtics were 9-of-42 (21.4 percent). Despite attempting more 3s, Boston seemed more timid than usual from deep, as Miami finished with a plus-five advantage.

Everybody in this locker room believed #HEATCulture
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 30, 2023

5/29/22
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 30, 2023

These weren’t the same Celtics from Games 4-6, and maybe that’s why history remained on Miami’s side. Maintaining the necessary excellence to climb out of a 3-0 hole is tough, especially in the conference finals. People dismissed Miami all season long because the Heat didn’t resemble their 2021-22 form.

The Heat were flawed but resilient. Butler is a superstar. Erik Spoelstra is one of the greatest coaches ever. And this #HeatCulture tends to find the Caleb Martins and Gabe Vincents of the world step up. The Heat proved they belong.

Now, they enter the NBA Finals as a wildly overlooked opponent. The Nuggets looked the part in the regular season and marched through the West. They’re justifiably favored over Miami. But the same was said and believed about Milwaukee and Boston. Maybe the Nuggets are that much better and win their first title over Miami. But, so far with the Heat, to quote the great Jeff Goldblum, “Life, uh, finds a way.”

Time to tag in Shams for some league updates!

Cross another one off ❌#HEATNation going crazy on Biscayne!
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 30, 2023

The Latest From Shams

Boston’s coaching needs, Herro update

Joe Mazzulla’s status

The Celtics fell short of completing the first-ever comeback from an 0-3 deficit in NBA history. But, in battling back to tie the series, there definitely seems to have been a lot of momentum built by first-year head coach Joe Mazzulla.

The impression I’m getting is that the Celtics and Mazzulla will be looking to elevate his bench with more assistant coaching help in the offseason. As a result of the whirlwind fashion in which he got the main job just prior to the season following the Ime Udoka situation, Mazzulla never really got a chance to align his own coaching staff and should get a chance to do so this summer.

According to league sources, Mazzulla has $14 million guaranteed on his deal, which spans over the next three years.

Optimism on Tyler Herro

As for the Heat, all eyes shift to Tyler Herro’s status and whether he’ll be able to return after missing the majority of this playoff run following the broken hand he suffered in Game 1 of Miami’s first-round series vs. Milwaukee.

I’m told there remains significant optimism that Herro will return in the Finals, though there is still no definitive target date and his status will be determined by the medical and coaching staff, who will have him under close observation in the coming days.

Herro was cleared to resume basketball activities a week ago and has been ramping up his work under close monitoring ever since. We’ll keep you informed on his status in the coming days.

Back to you, Zach!

Celtics Staying Together?

What awaits Boston this summer?

At various times in recent years, people wondered if Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown should split. Now? The Celtics came up short of returning to the Finals and let their nemesis unseat them as conference champs.

What are the Celtics’ major questions heading into this offseason? Let’s ask and attempt to answer!

Is Mazzulla safe? When the Celtics trailed the series 0-3, Mazzulla seemed to be on the hot seat – maybe even a lock to get fired despite being a 34-year-old rookie coach. He then coached pretty well in Games 4-6 before the Celtics simply didn’t make shots in Game 7. While adjustments could’ve been made, I’m not sure anything would’ve saved the season, especially after Jayson Tatum turned his ankle in Game 7’s early stages.

Maybe cooler heads have prevailed. By all accounts, former Celtics executive Danny Ainge loves Mazzulla. Likewise for current executive Brad Stevens. It’s important to remember he’s a rookie coach thrust into a tough situation at the season’s start with a team shouldering massive expectations. That team struggled but rallied against one of the best coaches of all time. Mazzulla will probably be safe, as Shams noted above, but you never know with coaches.

What’s next with Jaylen Brown? There has been much talk about whether Jaylen Brown will be on the move this summer. He is under contract for next season at $31.8 million before unrestricted free agency next summer. For years, people have bandied about the idea of separating the Tatum-Brown duo, who have combined for four conference finals berths and a Finals appearance together. Boston also made the 2017 East Finals when Brown was a rookie before Tatum turned pro.

Jaylen Brown: “Just a terrible game when my team needed me most.”
Said after Tatum’s injury, “My team turned to me to make plays, etc. and I came up short I failed. … I give credit to Miami but just a terrible job.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 30, 2023

Brown is eligible for a massive extension that locks Boston into its centerpiece duo for years. We’ve seen plenty of trade rumors involving Brown when another star (i.e. – Kevin Durant) is available. Brown has Euro-stepped questions around his future. Sometimes, he hints at either being open to leaving or sticking around. But the Celtics must offer Brown a supermax this summer to keep him from exploring other options.

Should the Celtics change anything? I don’t think so. Think about the Celtics’ rotation by just returning the status quo. Grant Williams will be a restricted free agent this summer, and they could lose some veteran end-of-the-bench guys in free agency. But let’s not forget the Celtics have their best core since winning the 2008 title.

The Celtics will be a tax team but have no reason to make any rash decisions. Boston contends for the East every year despite the conference becoming crowded. Keep it together and run it back.