Boston Celtics: What to Take from Their Victory over the Miami Heat

I don’t want to blow things out of proportion. The Boston Celtics' win yesterday against the Miami Heat was an impressive victory. What everyone needs to keep in mind is that it came in a regular season game at home against a team that has nothing to prove until the playoffs.

The Heat were sloppy all game long, and seemed disinterested for the majority of the contest. LeBron James didn’t record a single assist and it’s hard to believe that he will repeat that performance if the teams meet again in the postseason.

Obviously a 19-point victory over a top tier opponent is a good sign, but the fact of the matter is that the Celtics needed to win this game more than the Heat. Boston is fighting with the 76ers for the Atlantic Division title in order to avoid the seventh seed in the conference, and a first-round matchup with the Heat.

Taking that all into account, the win was still a great sign for the team going forward.

Rajon Rondo recorded yet another national TV triple-double. Rondo made plays all day for the Celtics and what was most notable was his aggressiveness. He was routinely able to beat his man off the dribble and would either take it strong to the basket, or set one of his teammates up for an easy shot.

Rondo’s aggressiveness is a very good sign for the team and is something they need him to continue. In order for the Celtics to go deep into the playoffs, he has to be the team’s best player and that means filling up the stat sheet.

What became glaringly apparent, if it wasn’t already, was that the Celtics have a huge edge at point guard when matching up against the Heat. This is the matchup Boston can exploit if the teams face off in the playoffs, and it could give them a shot to pull off the upset.

Another positive outcome from yesterday's win over the Heat was the play of Avery Bradley. The dynamic of having both Rondo and Bradley has been working out great for the Celtics and it was especially effective in their victory over the Heat.

Bradley’s defense against Dwayne Wade was remarkable and gives the team the perimeter defender they’ve been missing ever since they lost Tony Allen. Ray Allen’s absence has proven to be a positive for the Celtics as it has allowed Bradley to show his defensive prowess.

The final positive the Celtics can take from their victory yesterday is confidence. This victory has to give the team much more assurance in their ability to compete against the league’s elite. This has been the team’s best win of the season and one that is a major confidence builder.

Although the Celtics victory over the Heat was an important win for the team, it was a regular season game over a disinterested opponent. Still, there are many positives they can take from the win and use to build towards a possible playoff run.