Who's to Blame for the Boston Celtics' 0-2 Series Deficit vs. Miami Heat?

There are conference finals deficits, and then there are conference finals deficits with screaming, thrown objects and players storming out of the locker room.

On Thursday, when the Miami Heat went up 2-0 following a 106-101 victory, we learned the Boston Celtics had that kind of deficit.

Within minutes of the final buzzer, the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn clued us in to an emotional locker room scene that was apparently spearheaded by Marcus Smart (warning: language):

That wasn't all. According to ESPN's Malika Andrews, "There were loud clanks—like someone throwing items—coming from the Celtics' locker room."

Washburn later added, "Been outside a bunch of locker rooms in my days. That's was as raucous as I've ever heard."

Now, one could easily spin this postgame maelstrom into something good. The Celtics have coughed up second-half double-digit leads in each of the first two games of the series. Their win probability in Game 1 peaked at 96.1 percent. It made it to 94.4 percent in Game 2.

You would expect someone, maybe multiple someones, to be angry. And perhaps Smart is just the guy to fire everyone else up ahead of Game 3.

That was the tack his teammates took following the game.

"It was nothing," Kemba Walker said of the outburst, per Jay King of The Athletic. Jaylen Brown took it even further:

If Boston comes out with renewed effort in Game 3, Smart snags a few loose balls and picks up some possessions with his trademark flopping and the Celtics get in the win column, this could all blow over pretty quickly.

But most of those items aren't givens. Miami's combination of discipline and determination has been one of the most captivating stories in the bubble. On seemingly every individual possession, all five Heat players appear intent on outworking their opponents.

It's just that Boston really isn't pushing back during Miami's runs.

The Heat had eight offensive rebounds, picked up seven steals and forced 12 turnovers in the second half. You know the cliches. They wanted it more. They were a half-step quicker. They did all the little things.

The Celtics, meanwhile, played as if they were shellshocked, particularly in the third quarter. They recovered a bit in the fourth, but it was too late. Jimmy Butler had already smelled blood in the water, and he made several plays down the stretch to secure the win. Three of those second-half steals were his.

Now, pinning this start on any one player from Boston is tough. Jayson Tatum, Brown, Walker and Smart are all averaging between 19.0 and 25.5 points against Miami. They've all had strong stretches here and there, and Walker broke out a bit Thursday after an ice-cold shooting performance in Game 1.

The Celtics' failings are more about what's happening off the stat sheet, and everyone is guilty.

Walker was "mic'd up" during Game 2, and at one point in the broadcast, he was heard repeatedly telling Brown that the Celtics were just a step slow. When playing small (Daniel Theis is just 6'8"), they simply can't afford to do that. Bam Adebayo is too athletic. Butler, Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro and Jae Crowder are too aggressive.

Difficult a directive as it is, Boston simply has to match Miami's effort. Missed box-outs are exponentially more painful in the playoffs. Slow rotations lead to open looks for deadeye shooters like Herro and Duncan Robinson. Losing focus leads to careless passing and turnovers.

The Heat are rarely guilty of any of the above, and gifting them extra possessions is a recipe for more losing.

Surely, Gordon Hayward's return will help. And according to The Athletic's Jared Weiss, he's close:

Depth alone will make a difference, and Hayward's ability to guard multiple positions, take some ball-handling pressure off Tatum and Walker and hit open threes will be huge.

But he is not Boston's panacea. Digging out of this hole will be more about the intrinsic motivation of each individual Celtic.

Maybe, just maybe, they were stirred by Smart's reaction to Game 2.