But the call wasn’t a tough one at all. Rivers was playing the numbers more than a hunch.
Miami ran 36 pick-and-rolls for Dwyane Wade alone in Game 1, and Michael Beasley had been unusually silent, taking only eight shots. Knowing how much rotation is needed to defend the pick and roll, Rivers was using common sense. He couldn’t have Kendrick Perkins (280 pounds) and Wallace on the floor at the same time, knowing Wallace was a step slower than Beasley.
Davis seemed like the best bet, but the Celtics had no idea how big they’d cash in.
Reprising his role as Garnett’s understudy, Davis had 23 points and eight rebounds in the Celtics’ 106-77 Game 2 victory, doing all his damage mostly via energy.
Before he took the court, Celtics captain Paul Pierce took a look at the lineup he’d have around him.
“I said, ‘This is the same lineup we had going into the playoffs last year that pushed Orlando to seven games,’ ’’ Pierce said. “With Glen out there in the starting role, we all know what he’s capable of. He’s confident. He’s playing the type of basketball he knows we need him to play.’’
“Did I know he was going to have a big 23-point game with eight rebounds? Not at all. But I knew he was capable of filling in the role nicely and doing what the coaches asked him to do. With him out there, chemistry is fine. We felt like this was a game we were supposed to win with or without Kevin. So he did a great job with filling in.’’
Davis outworked the Heat all night, but in a way, he wound up the least of their problems. The Celtics had practically paralyzed them offensively, and there was nothing Miami could do to stop it.
Never mind the 21-0 run the Celtics went on in the second quarter. While they were dousing the Heat with basket after basket during that stretch, they also were forcing the Heat into a drought that spanned eight minutes and 13 straight misses.
From that point, the Celtics piled their lead as high as 32 points, and ran up their largest playoff victory since blowing out the Lakers in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals.
