Celtics vs. Heat: No Need for Miami to Start Panicking Yet

Tuesday's 115-107 loss to Boston wasn't a good sign for the Heat, especially considering it was their second loss to the Celtics in just over a week.

But fortunately for the Heat, it would be virtually impossible for the Celtics to consistently put forth an effort like Tuesday's throughout an entire series in the playoffs. 

It should be of some consolation to the Heat that the Celtics played one of their best games of the season in Miami on Tuesday, and that kind of performance doesn't come around very often.

The Celtics shot almost 61 percent from the field, and in the first half, their shooting was so hot that Miami—despite shooting 60 percent from beyond the arc and 78 percent from the free-throw line—was still 10 percentage points behind Boston in each category.

It was the kind of night where no matter what they did, Miami wasn't good enough to beat Boston. LeBron James' 36 points weren't good enough, Dwyane Wade's 20 points and five assists weren't enough and Chris Bosh's 13 points and nine rebounds weren't enough.

In the first half, the Celtics scored 65 points against a Miami defense that has consistently ranked in the top five in the league in opponent field-goal percentage, the most points the Heat have allowed in the first half all season.

But there is a reason the Heat are always ranked near the top of the league defensively. Nights like Tuesday don't happen all that often, and as long as they don't start showing that kind of defensive inefficiency on a regular basis, they won't have to panic.

Not yet.

James saw Tuesday's game for what it was: a game in which the Celtics were unstoppable. Unlike their loss at Boston on April 1—when Miami registered season lows in scoring and shooting—the Heat didn't play a bad game on Tuesday. Their effort was just not as superhuman as Boston's.

James told the Associated Press: 

"

We left Boston feeling awful at our performance. I don't feel as bad tonight. Those guys, they were locked in. Not only did they make their open shots, they made their contested shots...When you've got it going like that, just tip your hat off. We tip our hat off to them tonight. They won it. 

"

Though the Celtics have proven they are capable of dominating the Heat, they might have a harder time proving it with an eight-man rotation during a long, tiring series in the playoffs.

The Heat, alternately, have a deep bench that features a lot of talent in Shane Battier, James Jones and Udonis Haslem, just to name a few. In the playoffs, quality production off the bench can be the difference between a championship and a first-round exit.

Behind every great postseason team is a great supporting cast. The Heat have the depth and the talent to make a run in the postseason, but they can't afford to keep suffering the defensive lapses they've shown against the Celtics in the last two weeks.

If they can work out those kinks over the next three weeks, there will be no need to panic heading into the playoffs. They have enough talent to represent the Eastern Conference in the finals, and now they just need the focus.