Charles Dickens once said, “vices are sometimes virtues carried to excess.”
As Brad Stevens and Erik Spoelstra trade tactical barbs in the Eastern Conference Finals, both have to nail the balance between attacking their opponents weaknesses and doing it so much that its pursuit becomes a vice.
Through two games, the Boston Celtics have seen and attacked a few vulnerabilities in the Miami Heat defense, particularly with individual defenders. Miami has done the same. What has brought the Heat an early 2-0 advantage is their ability to combine masking their own deficiencies with not falling into the trap of over-targeting the same spot in their foes.