Crazy Victor Oladipo stat shows biggest reason why Miami …

The Boston Celtics just completed a dominant Game 4 performance on both ends of the court as they tie their series against the Miami Heat with two games apiece. But while Beantown looked very impressive, the same can’t be said about the Heat and its starters as they struggled the whole contest. This poor showing is further highlighted by a crazy Victor Oladipo stat no Miami fan will be happy about.

Points Scored in Game 4:
All Heat starters — 18
Victor Oladipo — 23

This is the very first playoff game that an entire starting lineup was outscored by a player from its bench (since starters were first tracked in 1970-71). pic.twitter.com/Xeo8jfNJqZ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 24, 2022

In a post by ESPN Stats & Info on Twitter, Oladipo played from the bench and led the Heat with a 23-point performance outplaying the Heat’s entire starting lineup. While the former All-Star guard is certainly defying expectations, Miami’s starting five is failing them. Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, and Max Strus combined for a horrendous 18-point outing in a crucial game against Boston.

In contrast, the Celtics’ starters fared much better than Oladipo and the Heat with Jayson Tatum leading his team with 31 points to a 102-82 victory. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Robert Williams III each had 12, 13, and 12 points respectively. This effort comes after Marcus Smart missed Game 4 due to a sprained ankle.

The Heat starters combined for 18 points tonight.

The fewest in a playoff game since the NBA merger. pic.twitter.com/dQc3iNnbEF

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 24, 2022

Although Oladipo’s performance as a reserve should quiet his critics, the way Butler and company played isn’t what Miami needs right now. The combined 18-point outing of the Heat’s starting five is the fewest in a playoff game since the NBA merger. They also had a very bad start to an NBA playoff game after failing to hit a field goal for the first 8:38 minutes of the first quarter.

That, and getting just three shots during the whole first quarter makes the Heat’s starters look pretty bad on the court. When taking all of these numbers and comparing them to Oladipo’s game from the bench, the comparison clearly shows why Miami fell to the Celtics during this crucial part of the series. It remains to be seen whether Butler, Adebayo, and Lowry can bounce back from this awful game.