The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals to go up 2-1 in the series.
Miami won 109-103 despite playing the entire second half without Jimmy Butler. The Heat star experienced inflammation in his right knee. Erik Spoelstra implied that Butler wanted to play through it, but the team’s trainers made the call at halftime to have the veteran sit out the rest of the game.
Fortunately, other Heat players were up to the task of protecting the 15-point lead the team built during the first half. One of the players who helped Miami come away with the victory was Victor Oladipo.
Although he put up modest overall numbers, Oladipo was dominant on defense and recorded four steals. He took to Twitter to emphasize his impressive defensive showing.
After playing just eight games in the 2021-22 regular season, Oladipo has been thrust into a key role in the postseason, where the Heat are looking to make a run to the NBA Finals. So far in the playoffs, the 30-year-old is averaging 10.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per match.
It is common for teams to tighten up their rotations in the playoffs, but Heat fans are likely happy that Oladipo is getting some action. After all, he is a two-time All-Star and made the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2018. Clearly, he has the potential to provide the team with solid contributions on both ends of the court.
Miami will have an opportunity to go up 3-1 when it faces the Celtics on Monday on the road.