There was a time, in the not-too-distant past when a zone defense would spell disaster for the Boston Celtics. 2-3, 1-3-1, 3-2, box-and-one, it didn’t matter what type of zone was thrown at them, the Celtics just couldn’t figure a way past it. The Miami Heat know this and like to test the Celtics’ ability to penetrate their multitude of zone defenses in the hopes of stumbling across a defensive scheme that causes their offense to stagnate.
So, it was hardly a surprise when we saw the Heat filter through their defensive systems on Wednesday night, but it was certainly encouraging that the Celtics continue to find ways to push past it.