— 3. The villain: After his hard foul against Tatum at the close of Game 1, Martin was jeered from his first touch.

He countered the noise by opening 4 of 5 on 3-pointers, evoking memories of what he did against the Celtics in last season’s Eastern Conference finals, when he finished as runner-up for MVP of that series to Butler.

Martin went 0 for 4 on 3-pointers in Game 1.

— 4. Herro ball: Praised earlier in the day by Spoelstra for his playmaking, Herro played was artful and adept as the Heat’s primary ballhandler.

He was up to 18 points and eight assists going into the fourth quarter, a stage he also was 6 of 9 on 3-pointers.

With Butler and Rozier out, it largely remains Herro or bust when it comes to shot creation for the Heat, be it for himself or for teammates.

— 5. The Jovic factor: The question of where the Heat first might find more 3-point shooting was somewhat answered early, with Jovic converting a pair of 3-pointers in the opening 2:30.

Jovic had been added to the injury report earlier in the day due to back spasms, but again was in the Heat starting lineup.

Jovic, who continually pushed the ball on bust-out dribbles after defensive rebounds or Celtics turnovers, was up to 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists going into the fourth quarter.,

Jovic’s play largely kept Kevin Love out of the Heat rotation.

©2024 South Florida Sun Sentinel. Visit at sun-sentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.