The Celts Ran All Over The Heat 127-102 In Game 2 To Even The Eastern Conference Finals At 1

 

    If not for a historically bad third quarter in Game 1 (where they were outscored 39-14), the Celtics would probably have a 2-0 series lead in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Heat. Tonight in Game 2 at FTX Arena, it wasn't even close as Boston truly wiped the floor with Miami 127-102. The series is now tied 1-1 and Boston improved to 4-0 this postseason following a loss. The C's got off to a fast start by leading 35-24 after the first quarter and 70-45 at halftime (their largest halftime lead in franchise playoff history!). The Heat made a tiny run early in the third quarter but it didn't matter one bit as the teams somehow scored the exact same amount in the final two frames: 26 points in the third quarter and 31 points in the fourth quarter. After they both were out for Game 1, C's point guard Marcus Smart barely missed a triple-double (24 points, playoff career-high 12 assists, 9 rebounds, 3 steals) and center Al Horford (10 points) both returned to stabilize things for the deeper and dare I say a little tougher overall squad?

    Miami's star small forward Jimmy Butler had another very good game (game-high 29 points, 6 rebounds) but he didn't go crazy like Game 1 where he dropped 41 points. It's looking like that type of otherworldly performance is how the Heat are going to win because they just don't have that many legit threats outside of Butler. While Boston's star-small forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 27 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (24 points, 8 rebounds) combined for 51 points-it was also about power forward Grant Williams (19 points) and point guard Payton Pritchard (10 points, game-high plus-39) who were both really solid off the bench for the visitors. Miami's point guard Kyle Lowry remains out with a strained left hamstring so taking his place is the immortal Gabe Vincent (14 points) who was the only other Heat starter to score in double figures. Miami's All-Star center Bam Adebayo (6 points, 9 rebounds) was a complete no-show for the second straight contest, shooting guard Max Strus (6 points) is a one-trick three-point shooting pony and veteran small forward P.J. Tucker left after 22 minutes and never returned with a left knee contusion. Shooting guard Victor Oladipo (remember him?) had 14 points off the bench and the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro was held to 11 measly points.

    Boston's defense was on another level than Miami's that is similarly regarded as a great defensive club. The C's were on fire from downtown, as they shot 50% (20-of-40) on three-pointers and held the Heat to 29.4% (10-of-34) in front of their stunned home fans. There weren't a ton of Celtics fans in the building but the real (and quite wealthy) Massholes that did get in made their presence felt like Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy who sat right next to the Celtics' bench with his lady friend. For the game, Boston shot seven percent (51.2%-44.2%) better from the field, they only missed two free throws (21-for-23) while they handed out seven more assists (28-21), grabbed twice as many steals (8-4) and blocked two more shots (5-3) thanks to Celts center Robert Williams (3 blocks). The Celtics scored 11 more points off turnovers (20-9) than the Heat, had five fewer turnovers (14-9) and they led by as much as 34 points (!) which is a pretty amazing feat on the road against the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference who had captured Game 1 (118-107) by double digits.

    There is little time to rest as they get right back to it on Saturday night (8:30, ABC) in Boston at what should be a lubed up and very loud TD Garden. Between their variety of options on offense not to mention their typical superb defense that showed up in Game 2, the C's have many ways to beat Miami while the Heat seem more limited outside of Butler being the best player on the floor by a wide margin (which is harder to do since he has only hit one 3-pointer in the first two games combined). If Tucker is out, Miami would be down a great defensive player and one of its true heart and soul guys. I'm not predicting anything just yet because I have too much respect for the Heat to bury them but as a Celtics fan, you have to like the position that they are in after picking up this vital road win in Game 2. They are not intimidated by Miami and honestly, why should they be? Boston is the better team and hopefully that is proven out over the course of this series. 

The Heat Swept The Two-Game Set With The Celts, Sending Boston To The Play-In Tournament

 

    Much like I was saying last fall and winter about the hapless Patriots, this miserable season for the Celtics (35-34 overall, 21-15 home) has to end and thankfully for us, that will probably come soon. Tonight at the TD Garden, the Heat (38-31 overall, 18-16 away) clinched a playoff spot and in the process, relegated Boston to the gutter I mean the lovely Play-In Tournament next week as the likely No. 7 seed. In their first game knowing that star Jaylen Brown (upcoming wrist surgery) was not going to return to this sinking ship of a campaign, the C's at least tried but even if Brown and Robert Williams (turf toe) were in the lineup, it does not matter. Who could argue at this point that Miami is not simply a better team than them? They took the season series 2-1 and they are playing like a group that is peaking as they head into the postseason (7-3 in their last 10 games) while the Celtics continue to unravel like you read about (3-7 in their last 10 games). 

    Miami's best player Jimmy Butler (13 points) did not even play in the second half after getting poked in the eye by Celtics guard Marcus Smart (10 points, 5 assists) in the second quarter. The Heat are so much deeper than the C's and they also have a cohesive gameplan which is a big advantage over the Celts who often play like they all just met earlier that same day. Heat guard Tyler Herro (24 points, 11 rebounds) single-handedly outscored the Celtics bench (20 points combined) by himself. Steady center Bam Adebayo (7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) and sweet shooting guard Duncan Robinson both scored 22 points while guard Kendrick Nunn added 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals. For the Celtics, point guard Kemba Walker (game-high 36 points, 7 rebounds), swingman Jayson Tatum (33 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) and shooting guard Evan Fournier (20 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks) were all very good but nobody else really did anything for the home team.

    It was tied at 28 after the first quarter and Miami led by six points (62-56) at halftime. The Heat started to take over some more in the third quarter (31-23) and they opened up a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter when backup point guard Goran Dragic (17 points) drained a 3-pointer to make it 105-84. From there, the Celts did their usual window dressing fake comeback thing which makes the final score look more respectable when in reality, it could not have mattered less. This evening was the last home game of the regular season for Boston, now they have three road games in the next five days to fully sort this mess out before the Play-In Tournament begins next Tuesday. 

    Boston is at Cleveland (21-48 overall, 12-23 home) tomorrow night (8, NBC Boston), they go to Minnesota (22-47 overall, 12-21 home) on Saturday (time TBA, NBC Sports Boston) and it ends on Sunday (time TBA, NBC Sports Boston) at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks (38-31 overall, 22-11 home) who are tied with the Heat and Hawks (38-31) for fourth-place in the Eastern Conference with each team having three games left. The Celtics have already lost to the Cavs earlier this season and needed overtime to beat the T-Wolves so I would normally say that they should win those games to get tuned up for next week but let's be honest, it could not matter less at this point. They are going nowhere fast and the off-season needs to happen as quickly as possible.

It's Tough To Win When 1) You Are Down 26 Pts At Halftime & 2) You Allow 130 Pts In Regulation

 

    You've heard of hate watching a TV show or movie, how about hate watching a particular sports team for an entire season? The Celtics (35-33 overall, 21-14 home) have given us so little to be happy about during this extremely frustrating year but in a weird way, I still feel the need to tune into every game since you never know what new yet terrible thing will happen to them. This afternoon on Mother's Day and in their biggest game of the season thus far, they decided to sleepwalk through the entire first half as Miami (37-31 overall, 17-16 away) built a 26-point (!!!!) lead at halftime-79-53. That was the most points that the Celts have ever allowed in a first half in the history of the TD Garden. The second half followed a familiar script as Boston furiously rallied but fell a little short as the Heat won 130-124. The two teams meet again on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden with another Celtics loss basically guaranteeing that they'll be in the Play-In Tournament. Ugh. 

    Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown missed his third straight contest with an ankle injury and center Robert Williams played 11 minutes before he left with his pesky turf toe injury. As we have seen at different points this season, when Brown or swingman Jayson Tatum (29 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) are out, the C's struggle to beat anybody. I am a bigger fan of Brown than Tatum but I will say that it feels like they are completely rudderless (in terms of leadership) when Brown is out. I don't care how many points Tatum scores or all the highlight reel plays that he makes offensively, does he help any of his teammates get better? Also, does losing truly affect him or is it just a slight roadblock on his way to more endorsement money and richer deals?

    Even if Brown was playing and Williams was a little healthier (which never happens), I am still convinced that the Heat are just a better club. Miami star Jimmy Butler (now there's a guy that knows how to win and push those around him to be their best) led the way with 26 points, a game-high 11 assists, eight rebounds and two steals. Shooting guard Duncan Robinson (who began his college career at D3 Williams in Western MA) added 22 points, center Bam Adebayo notched 20 points, six rebounds and two steals while the ghost of Trevor Ariza tossed in 19 points and had three steals then point guard Kendrick Nunn scored 12 points. Guard Tyler Herro only played 17 minutes off the bench for Miami but he made them count as he contributed 12 points as well. 

    I keep saying this but the Celts once again wasted shooting guard Evan Fournier's best game in a Boston uniform. He had a game-high 30 points and eight assists. UConn's Kemba Walker added 18 points, six assists and two steals while guard Marcus Smart notched 16 points and two steals but he also had six turnovers which is way too many. The Celtics fell to 3-6 in their last nine games but rookie swingman Aaron Nesmith (16 points) continues to be one of the few bright spots as their world crumbles around them. Center Tristan Thompson grabbed 12 rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench as the de-facto starter once Williams inevitably left for good.

    Tuesday is Boston's last home game of the regular season and with the stakes of it, I hope that Brown can play assuming that his ankle is getting a little better. If he remains out, I give the Celtics not much of a chance at all to win. Unlike them, the Heat are starting to roll (7-3 in their last 10 games) heading into the postseason. They are also healthier than Boston and guys seem to be accepting their roles better. It's hard to feel positive about really anything involving the Celts at the moment since it seems like a dark cloud is constantly hanging over them.

UPDATE 5/10/21: The Celtics just announced tonight that Brown has a torn ligament in his left wrist that will require surgery later this week. In other words, any glimmer of hope that they had of salvaging this wretched season is now officially gone. Fantastic! 

For The Third Time In The Last Four Years, The Celtics Bow Out In The Eastern Conference Finals

 

    In 2020 and with the easiest path that they'll ever see (think the Bruins last postseason) in real life, it shouldn't have ended like this for the Celtics. Being overmatched in the NBA Finals vs. the Lakers (as painful as it is to say this) would have been understandable and the end to a wonderful season. Instead, dreams of another Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals meeting will have to wait for at least another year as Boston lost 125-113 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight vs. Miami in the Disney World bubble. It sucks that it had to come against my favorite team but in a weird way, it was very refreshing to see a team-first club succeed in a league that's typically dominated by stars and little else (see: this season's Lakers). The Celts might have more top-end talent but that couldn't have mattered less as the Heat used great teamwork, balanced scoring and better coaching (and front office moves!) to reach their first NBA Finals since 2014. 

    Boston trailed for most of Game 6 but of course they led by six points (96-90) after a bucket by Jaylen Brown (team-high 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals) early in the fourth quarter. From there, Miami went on a crazy closing run of 35-17 to take it. From the outside, this might have been a stunning ending but not if you've watched the C's blow leads and falter in fourth quarters repeatedly in the Toronto series and basically every game vs. the Heat. Bam Adebayo (career-high 32 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists) was the best player on the court this evening and likewise the best overall player in the entire series from start to finish. Jimmy Butler added 22 points and eight assists while Duncan Robinson added 15 points and six rebounds while crafty veteran Goran Dragic notched 13 points and seven assists. Miami basically only used two guys off their bench but that's all they needed as rookie shooting guard Tyler Herro (19 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds) closed out his star-making series with a flourish and old man Andre Iguodala (15 points, 2 steals) had his best game as a member of the Heat. Jae Crowder is also going to the NBA Finals after he put up nine points, six rebounds and two blocks to close out his former club. 

    Jayson Tatum (24 points, career-high 11 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) had a weird Game 6 as he went scoreless in the first quarter before taking over in the second quarter. Hopefully this pumps the brakes a bit on those that want to say he's one of the best players in the league. Yes, he had a really good season and he shows signs of being a special player all the time but a better, more complete player takes over that series and doesn't get overshadowed by Adebayo or frankly anyone else on Miami. Kemba Walker (5 assists) and Marcus Smart (8 rebounds, 2 steals) both scored twenty points but the real cause of Boston's downfall was their brutal 3-point shooting (15-for-46, 32.6%) which was reminiscent of their Game 7 loss two years ago to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. I have been a Brad Stevens honk going back to his magical days at Butler but is it time to wonder if he'll ever get over the hump of the ECF? Furthermore, would it kill him to try and change things up in an elimination game when guys like Smart (4-for-13), Tatum and Walker (both 3-for-10) have no solutions to a contest that's quickly slipping away from their grasp then to continue to jack up dreadful 3-pointers with no hope of going in. 

    Gordon Hayward (12 points) just wasn't enough of a factor either in 32 minutes off the bench. Five different Celtics made appearances off the bench but they still managed to get outscored by the unlikely Herro/Iguodala tag team by a count of 34-17. Maybe Danny Ainge could have made a move or two at the trade deadline (groundbreaking idea, I know!) like Miami did to pick up valuable experienced veterans like Iguodala and Crowder. It was easy to make fun of what seemed like minor moves at the time but who's laughing now? Trader Danny gets way too fixated on hoarding draft picks which doesn't make sense since when he's not in the lottery where he can get studs like Tatum or Brown, he honestly does not draft all that well. Like at all. Tatum, Brown and Kemba are a great base to start with but like Stevens, this seems to be their ceiling if they don't decide to further reinforce things by surrounding them with more quality players. 

     Miami led 33-27 after the first quarter then Boston responded to outscore them 33-29 in the second quarter to cut it to a one-possession game (62-60) at halftime. Both teams scored 26 points in the third quarter which should have set up a fantastic fourth quarter but instead the Celtics chose to collectively pee their shorts. They should be embarrassed as the Heat outscored them by 10 (37-27) with a possible Game 7 looming on Wednesday night. Instead, Game 1 between the Lakers and Heat will begin that night (9, ABC). Just like the ball, these numbers don't lie: Miami shot nearly 13% better from the floor (56.3%-43.4%), 15.5% better on 3s (48.1%-32.6%), they attempted 11 more free throws (26-15) and hit 10 more of them (22-12). The Heat also grabbed nine more defensive rebounds (38-29) and handed out four more assists (30-26). 

    Bigger picture, other than some obvious moves by Ainge (another big guy, please!), we can only hope that this serves as another valuable lesson to this team's nucleus of what it takes to win more often at this level. From all accounts, they are likeable guys that put in the work and have more important things than just basketball on their minds 24/7. This is all well and good but professional sports are a results oriented business and going out with a whimper like this will never be an acceptable conclusion for such a proud franchise. The sad reality is that they were frontrunners who started the postseason 6-0 in the bubble, only to sputter to a 4-7 finish after this final debacle. 

     

    

    

    

Herro (Career-High 37 pts!) & Heat Push Celtics To The Brink Of Elimination With 112-109 Gm. 4 Win

 

    How much difference can one spot in the NBA Draft sometimes make? Well my friends, look no further than the 2019 NBA Draft where Miami had the 13th pick with Boston right after them. The Heat took shooting guard Tyler Herro from Kentucky while the Celtics selected small forward Romeo Langford from Indiana. The story goes that C's GM Danny Ainge loved Herro when he crushed it at a pre-draft workout in Boston but that meant absolutely nothing as he dropped a career-high 37 points tonight at the Disney World bubble while Langford's utterly forgettable rookie campaign is already over after surgery on his wrist. Miami held on for a 112-109 victory in Game 4 to give them a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 5 is on Friday night (8:30, ESPN) and I don't blame you for starting to drink already in anticipation of that one last disappointment from the C's. 

    Only 13 teams in NBA history have ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit although that includes Denver twice already this postseason-against Utah and the fraud Clippers. Boston has done it twice before but not in a long time: 1968 vs. Sixers and 1981 vs. Sixers. This is all glossing over the fact that the Heat are a better team right now at this moment. It doesn't matter how many high draft picks the Celts have on their current roster, Miami has more guys that can go off in a given contest while Boston cannot figure things out from game to game. In fact, since leading 2-0 in the last round vs. Toronto, the C's fell to 3-6 in their last nine games after this loss. Besides Herro (who has scored in double-figures every playoff game), Jimmy Butler (24 points, 9 rebounds), Goran Dragic (22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and Bam Adebayo (20 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals) all continued to play their roles to perfection and carve up Boston in the process. 

    The final score was closer than it really should have been because numerous questionable foul calls and replays all seemed to go Boston's way near the end. Make no mistake, as ugly as the first half was for both teams, the Heat outscored the Celtics in the first, second and fourth quarters therefore they deserved to win this more. Oh and the simple facts that the Heat had three times as many steals as the Celtics (9-3) while Boston turned the ball over an absurd 11 more times (19-8). Nobody in Green better illustrated the unpredictable nature of the Celtics than Jayson Tatum (9 rebounds, 3 blocks): he went scoreless in the first half then caught fire in the second half to the tune of finishing with a team-high 28 points. Two other Celtics scored 20+ points but just barely: Jaylen Brown had 21 points and nine rebounds while Kemba Walker notched 20 points with five assists. Marcus Smart (10 points, 11 assists, fouled out) picked a poor time to morph back into Marcus Smart when it comes to shooting as he went 3-for-12 from the floor including a disgusting 1-of-8 on 3-pointers. Props to Gordon Hayward (14 points, 7 rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench) who missed the birth of his son (after 3 girls!) this afternoon for this frustrating setback. You think his wife will hold that decision against him for the rest of his life?

    You have to hand it to the NBA for sucking most of the life out of this series by putting two extra days off since Game 3 which in case you forgot happened way back on Saturday night which in 2020 terms was a lifetime ago. The first half was borderline unwatchable and it looked like anything but a game this deep into the postseason. Miami led by one point after the first quarter (24-23) and 50-44 at halftime-the first time that they were up at the break in this series while holding Boston to its lowest scoring first half of the playoffs. 

    We all know how poorly the Celts typically perform in the third quarter at the bubble but not this evening as Tatum caught fire and they outscored the Heat to trail by just one point (77-76) heading into the fourth quarter. To say that the last 12 minutes were a slog is being generous, is there anything more tedious than the end of a close NBA playoff game when there are roughly a thousand whistles and 500 replays/reviews? I didn't think so. Boston shot almost five percent better from the floor (47.6%-42.9%), they hit four more 3-pointers (14-10), grabbed six more rebounds (46-40), handed out eight more assists (28-20) and blocked three more shots (5-2). Bottom line: if they weren't so careless with the ball and/or if they found a way to slow down Herro a tad, this would have been a win. 

    The Celtics have already won when facing elimination this postseason but that was a little different scenario as they had blown a 3-1 lead vs. Toronto and had to survive Game 7 just to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Adebayo appeared to pick up a hand/wrist injury late in Game 4 but he never came off of the court so who knows how serious it is. To lose to the Heat is one thing, I doubt that many Celtics fans realized how good they are but to lose in a gentleman's sweep (5 games) would be downright pathetic. I'd like to think that the C's have too much fight left in them to go out like that but if they get down early and/or big on Friday, do you have any confidence that they'll battle back and not fold? Yeah, me neither. Time to prove us wrong guys! PS I love Brad Stevens but are we starting to see that his teams only have a certain ceiling? Something to chew on until Game 5 tips off, I'll bring the alcoholic beverages-we'll surely need them.

Maybe The C's Aren't Front-Running Frauds As They Take Must-Win ECF Gm 3, 117-106 vs. Heat

 

    It was a tough night for the hot take artists both locally and nationally as the Celtics led from start to finish en route to a 117-106 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. Miami at the Orlando bubble. Trailing 0-2 in the series, Boston simply had to win to at least temporarily save their season and they delivered with their best performance of this postseason (sorry, Game 7 vs. Toronto was a great result but too clunky). Now rather than making vacation plans, the C's get additional time to think about Game 4 which doesn't happen until Wednesday night (8:30, ESPN) thanks to the NBA's wacky schedule. This was only the second loss in the playoffs for the Heat and their first in regulation which has to count for something. 

The gameplan for the Celtics was obvious as they went to the basket at will and outscored the Heat there 60-36 (tied for the most in the past 20 postseasons). If you're looking for a good sign as a Celts fan (haha no Heat fans allowed here anyway!), the last two Eastern Conference champions-Cleveland in 2018 and Toronto last year-also trailed 0-2 in the ECF. I'm just saying. This was the first time all postseason that Boston had four guys score 20+ points: Jaylen Brown led the way with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals; Jayson Tatum (25 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists) just missed out on a rare triple-double; Kemba Walker had 21 points and six rebounds; Marcus Smart added 20 points and six assists. We found out this afternoon that Gordon Hayward (6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, block) would return after missing over a month with an ankle sprain and while his shot was rusty (2-for-7 from the floor), he made a real impact off the bench in 31 quality minutes. 

    Bam Adebayo (game-high 27 points, game-high 16 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks) continued to be a force for Miami but luckily, Tyler Herro (22 points off the bench) was the only other Heat to have a solid outing. Jimmy Butler (17 points, 8 rebounds) wasn't much of a factor while Goran Dragic (11 points, 5 assists) and Jae Crowder (10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) were both locked down as they each shot a miserable 2-for-10 from the floor. Fake me out 12-year-old sharpshooter Duncan Robinson put up 13 points on four 3-pointers and an ultra rare (for him) free throw. Boston outscored Miami in the first, second and third quarters but their 20-point lead in the fourth quarter was whittled down to five measly points before they closed it out with some Smart free throws (he was 10-of-10 from the line overall!) down the stretch. 

    The C's led 31-22 after the first and 53-50 at halftime. We held our breath waiting for the inevitable implosion in the third but it never happened as the Celts topped them by a bucket (26-24). The Heat are impossible to put away which coupled with the fact that the Celtics can't close anyone out makes no Boston lead ever safe in this series. Miami outscored them 32-28 in the fourth but thankfully it was too little, too late. Make no mistake, the Green deserved to win as they shot nearly 10% better from the floor (48.2%-38.8%), they pulled down eight more rebounds (50-42), notched six more assists (27-21) and made three more steals (8-5). 

    Looking at the first three games of this series, Boston has outplayed Miami for long stretches, they have been up by double-digits in every contest and yet they still trail 1-2. In many ways since Game 1 was decided in overtime, they could easily lead 2-1 or even 3-0 but here we are. Tonight was further proof that they have a slightly higher ceiling than Miami when they choose to share the basketball and play their signature lockdown defense. Hayward gives them a boost and he brought more positive news saying that his wife Robin (who is very pregnant with the couple's fourth child) will let him stay in the bubble rather than leave for the birth which would require another quarantine. Miami's last loss came in Game 4 vs. Milwaukee so it's nice that they will be hearing and thinking about this setback for longer than usual. We'll see how they respond to a little adversity but you can bet that they are going to be a notch above this imperfect showing. I'm just happy that the Celtics have more meaningful games to play since if they trailed 0-3, Game 4 would have been more useless than those extra days off.

C's Waste Another Big Lead (17 pts) & Nightmare 3rd Quarter Puts Them In 0-2 Hole vs. the Heat

 

    After sweeping the Sixers in the first round and winning the first two games vs. the Raptors, the Celtics fell to 2-5 in their last seven contests after an extremely frustrating 106-101 loss tonight to the Heat at the Disney World bubble in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami improved to a remarkable 10-1 this postseason and took a commanding 2-0 series lead which as we learned in the last round against Toronto, teams that are up 2-0 in a best-of-7 series have advanced 93% of the time (like the C's in 7 games vs. the Raptors). Ruh roh. Game 3 is on Saturday night in primetime (8:30, ESPN) and needless to say, Boston will be playing to save their postseason since no team in NBA history has ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit. No pressure or anything. This loss does not fall solely on Celts head coach Brad Stevens but this series means very much to his NBA career and he fell to 4-10 (.286) all-time in the ECF including 1-5 (.167) in his last six games. 

    If you watched the game or even just by glancing at the box score, you can see that the third quarter essentially decided everything: down 13 at halftime, Miami absolutely blitzed Boston 37-17 (their worst scoring margin all season!) which was enough to help them survive getting outscored in all three other quarters. Oh and double-digit leads continue to mean nothing as Boston was up by as many as 17 points in the second quarter (58-41 with 3:19 left in the half); they've now blown double-digit advantages in four of their five playoff losses. I despise cliches but watching these first two games, you can clearly see that Miami is the much hungrier team. The Celtics have more talent on paper than the Heat but Miami is playing more unselfish, team basketball. How else do you explain six Heat scoring in double figures led by Goran Dragic's game-high 25 points while Boston only had four guys in double figures? 

    Duncan Robinson (18 points) caught fire early on with a trio of 3-pointers but the Celtics managed to lead 31-28 after the first quarter. Boston's best 12 minutes of Game 2 came in the second quarter as their defense locked down Miami to the tune of 29-19. The C's outscored the Heat in the third quarter in Game 1-which didn't matter since they lost in OT-but they were back to their nightmare third quarters from the Toronto series. Suddenly, they forgot how to defend simple pick-and-rolls where Bam Adebayo (21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals) got dunks and easy buckets over and over again. Neither Jae Crowder (12 points, 3 steals) nor Tyler Herro (11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) were as good as they had been in the series opener but at least they did something. Jimmy Butler (14 points, 4 steals) was invisible but somehow his teammates lifted him up and you can bet that he won't have another complete clunker like that in this round at least.

    Kemba Walker (23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) was Boston's highest scorer and best player, Jayson Tatum (21 points, 5 rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (21 points, 6 rebounds) were fine and Marcus Smart (14 points) did his thing but collectively it wasn't enough. Boston's bench was a factor in the first half as Enes Kanter made a rare playoff appearance and put up nine points and six rebounds which sadly turned out to be his final stat line as well. Brad Wanamaker made a pair of 3-pointers in the first half but he predictably was held to one point in the second half while Semi Ojeleye and Grant Williams combined to play 19 minutes but they went scoreless (granted they took 2 shots, both misses by Semi). Romeo Langford also came out of witness protection in the first quarter, got hurt in 1:21 (right adductor strain) and never returned. He was the 14th overall pick in last year's NBA Draft, what was Celts GM Danny Ainge thinking there? 

    You look at the stat sheet and in some ways, it's stunning that the Celtics found a way to lose. They shot 5.6% better from the floor (50%-44.4%), hit seven more free throws (19-12) and grabbed three more rebounds. On the other hand, Miami hit four more 3-pointers (14-10), pulled down five more offensive rebounds (11-6), they dished out eight more assists (27-19), had more than twice as many steals (11-5) and committed 11 less turnovers (20-9). Therefore the Heat boatraced the Celtics on points off turnovers (26-10) and put up five more second chance points (16-11). This evening was the first time in the postseason that Boston trailed in a series and we saw how well they dealt with a little adversity in that instance. 

    If we are being real here, Game 3 is all about the Celtics since the Heat are playing with house money at this point (not only making it this far but surprisingly leading the series 2-0 to boot). If they fold and go down 0-3, there will be endless questions asked of Ainge, Stevens and their top players for however long this unpredictable offseason lasts. Celtics fandom aside, we all know that this should be a six or seven game series because there really is not that much separating them from the Heat or at least there shouldn't be. Saturday will show us what they're truly made of and if we have grossly overrated them all along. 

If Gm. 1 of the ECF-Won 117-114 by Miami in OT-Is Any Indication, Buckle Up For A Hell Of A Series

 

    A very troubling trend for the Celtics began in the last round of the playoffs vs. the Raptors: they really struggled to put away Toronto time and again which is why what should have been a gentleman's sweep (5 games) ended up going the distance. Even in Game 7, their defense-and the Raptors' inept offense-were the main reasons that they were able to hold on. Up 14 in the fourth quarter of Game 1 tonight vs. Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals in the Disney World bubble, you might have put that painful theme out of your mind. Unfortunately, the Heat outscored the Celts 35-23 in that frame and 11-8 in overtime en route to a crazy 117-114 victory. This was an especially rough loss for the C's since they not only had a chance to win it at the end of regulation (with the ball in their best player's uber-talented hands) but they were also up by one point late in overtime and they could not hang on. 

    Jayson Tatum's (game-high 30 points, game-high 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals & 2 blocks) numbers look great but his 3-pointer to win it at the buzzer was a questionable decision at best and then after Kemba Walker (19 points, 6 assists, 6-for-19 shooting) hit a clutch basket to put Boston ahead 114-113 with 23.6 seconds left in OT, Jimmy Butler (20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) answered with a big-time And-1. He made the free throw too which set up the play of the game: Tatum drove to the basket but was stuffed at the rim by Bam Adebayo (18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks). Of course the former Kentucky star only made one of his two free throws, leaving just enough time for Tatum to catch a long inbounds pass, fall down, get up then have a heavily contested tying 3-pointer rim out. Ugh, just brutal.

    It was a bizarre contest from start to finish since Boston outscored Miami 26-18 in the first quarter then the Heat couldn't miss in the second quarter (37-29) to make it 55-55 at halftime. The Celts got over their series-long bugaboo of terrible third quarters vs. Toronto with a solid 12 minutes this evening (28-16). Boston's foul trouble caught up to them when it mattered though as Miami shot 12 of their 28 free throws in the fourth after the Celtics got into the penalty early.

    Both clubs were understandably gassed by the time that overtime came around and it showed in Tatum's uncharacteristic ice cold shooting (2-of-10 in the 4th quarter and overtime combined). Goran Dragic somehow led the Heat with 29 points and he added seven assists as well while former Celtic Jae Crowder (22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) was fantastic. Williams College alum Duncan Robinson (6 points in 17 minutes) was a non-factor since he picked up three fouls in the first half but it wasn't much of a loss since Tyler Herro played 40 minutes (!) off the bench and almost notched a triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists). 

    Marcus Smart (26 points, 6-for-13 on 3-pointers!) continues to play great while Jaylen Brown (17 points, 5 rebounds) could never really get untracked. Boston's bench was outscored 22-18 by Miami but more importantly, they wasted Brad Wanamaker's (11 points, 6 assists, 5 steals!!) best performance in the NBA. The main story was that the Heat surprisingly played bully ball on the Celtics, to the tune of outscoring them 48-26 in the paint. Yeesh. Miami shot 2.8% better from the field (47.1%-44.3%), hit one more 3-pointer (16-15), grabbed four more rebounds (41-37) and handed out eight more assists (32-24) which sneaky was another huge subplot-too much 1-on-1 by the C's. Boston made three more steals (9-6) and had two less turnovers (12-10) as both teams played pretty clean playoff basketball.

    No rational person thought this would be a quick series but clearly, it's imperative for the Celtics to make the proper adjustments and get a win in Game 2 on Thursday night (7:00, ESPN). They didn't play bad in Game 1 but they have to find a way to seal up these playoff wins when they get the chance. Brown will be better and I'd say that Kemba is due as well after three straight sub-standard outings by him. Dragic won't drop 29 points again or I might keel over. Whatever it takes, Boston can't afford to go down 2-0 vs. Miami because they are a real tough matchup/mirror image of them.