Heat-Celtics has intriguing matchup in Beasley, KG

MIAMI — Kevin Garnett is waiting. A year ago, Michael Beasley might not have been so ready for that challenge.

This time, he insists, it's different.

The power-forward matchup could go a long way toward deciding this Eastern Conference first-round series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. There's Garnett, the grizzled veteran who saw his scoring and rebounding averages drop for the third straight year, yet still commands respect. And there's Beasley, with whom the Heat went 13-6 when he scored more than 20 points this season.

This time of the NBA season, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra likes to say, is about moments.

As such, this series could wind up as Beasley's breakthrough moment.

"He can actually grow up in these playoffs," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "He's going to have a guy like Garnett who's going to come at him. There's no secret about it. He's going to go at the young guy in many different ways. This could be a series where Beas grows up and that leads him into what his expectations of himself probably are."

And that's no secret — Beasley's expectations are sky-high.

Heat president Pat Riley said Beasley is one of the most offensively gifted players he's seen in 40 NBA years. But the second-year forward from Kansas State knows the game isn't just about scoring anymore, which is why he thinks Miami will have an opportunity to maybe do more than just hang around with the Celtics for the next couple weeks.

"Honestly, I feel like we've got a pretty good chance," Beasley said. "Boston's a pretty tough team to beat, you know. But if we play our basketball on the defensive side, I think we've got a pretty good chance to close some games out."

Imagine that — Beasley talking about defense.

When he got drafted by Miami 22 months ago, that simply wasn't happening. He was all-offense, all-the-time, not really interested in the defensive end of the floor. It's all changed now, and there's no question he's become a much more complete player since, especially this season.

This series may show how much he's learned.

"The only thing we're going to do is keep trying to give him all the knowledge and the things that he needs to be prepared," Wade said. "But you know what? We'll see. He has to show us that he's different than last year, that he's prepared. In the playoffs, they say every possession counts. It really does. Every possession means so much. And I'm sure if a lot of guys could go back to last year and get some of those possessions back, they would."

By the time Beasley got his first points in the Game 7 loss to Atlanta last year, the Heat trailed by 16. And when Miami closed within 10 early in the second half, Beasley had turnovers on consecutive possessions, miscues that the Hawks turned into five quick points.

Game over. Season over. Beasley remembers, too.

"Got to be physical," Beasley said. "Playoff basketball is a whole different monster. Emotions pull out with playoff basketball. You've got to be ready for war."

Close games are the norm in the playoffs, and given the way the Heat-Celtics series went this season, more of the same can be expected starting on Saturday.

The Heat lost by seven, six and five points, despite either being tied or leading all three of those games in the fourth quarter. Garnett made 11 of 12 shots to lead the Celtics to a 92-85 win on Nov. 29; Rajon Rondo had an unbelievable alley-oop layup to force overtime in what became a 112-106 Boston win on Jan. 6; and Boston finished the sweep with a 107-102 win on Feb. 3 even without Paul Pierce.

"All three games went down to the wire," Beasley said. "We lost on some pretty amazing plays. We've got a whole lot of confidence, especially on the defensive side, against those guys. We're just going to play our basketball and hope for the best."

Miami won 18 of its final 22 games. Boston lost seven of its last 10.

Advantage, Heat?

Don't bank on it, Beasley said. The Celtics still have a roster filled with future Hall of Famers. A little end-of-season slide isn't allowing Miami to let down its guard.

"They've got veteran players. Paul Pierce. Ray Allen. Kevin Garnett. And they've got one of the best point guards in the NBA right now," Beasley said. "There's really no sleeping on them. They're a veteran team, champions two years ago. They've been here before. There's no sleeping on them. We've got to come, play our game and play our game well."