If the Boston Celtics were going to decrease 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, it wasnt going to be since they let the Miami Heat dictate the regards to engagement. Three and a half minutes into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday, they d scored at the rim three times. By the end of the 3rd quarter, they had 50 points in the paint to the Heats 22..
Unlike Game 2, the Celtics offense did not stagnate when Miami went to its 2-3 zone. They made fast choices, utilized the Heats aggressiveness versus them and assaulted the paint with function. With a 117-106 win, Boston is down 2-1 in the series..
Jaylen Brown was a maniac on defense and played possibly his best all-around video game of the playoffs. He finished with 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting, plus seven rebounds, five assists, three takes and a block in 42 minutes. Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Kemba Walker included 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting..
Miami shot just 33-for-85, however managed to hang around until the last minute. Bam Adebayo had 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting, plus 16 rebounds, three blocks and 2 takes. Off the bench, Tyler Herro scored 22 points and dished four assists, but did almost all of his damage in the very first half..
Boston led by 13 points at halftime and as lots of as 19 in the 3rd. The Heat went on an 11-1 run late in the 3rd quarter, briefly threatening to manage the type of resurgence that sunk the Celtics in each of the very first two games. Boston responded with a 7-0 run, and the margin was back to 19 early in the 4th quarter..
Miami had the ability to make it intriguing late in the 4th, cutting the deficit to 5 points, however its hard to earn a come-from-behind victory when you shoot 4-for-26 from 3-point range in the second half.
Here are 3 takeaways:.
If they keep doing THAT …
Every NBA team group desperate for big wings who can defend protect spotsAreas Regardless of position, every group is trying to stack its roster with gamers who can shoot, dribble and pass.
The Celtics have champion potential since Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can play video games like this when theyre most required. If a single series functioned as a microcosm of the evening, it was when Brown started a fast break with a block on Goran Dragic and Tatum completed it with a powerful dunk..
If the Boston Celtics were going to go down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, it wasnt going to be due to the fact that they let the Miami Heat determine the terms of engagement. Unlike Game 2, the Celtics offense did not stagnate when Miami went to its 2-3 zone. The Heat went on an 11-1 run late in the third quarter, briefly threatening to pull off the kind of return that sunk the Celtics in each of the very first 2 games. To him, it was more about how they lost, and who the Celtics were going to reveal themselves to be afterward. Boston ought to be pleased about how it restricted Herro in the second half, though, and the Heat need to figure out whats going on with its sluggish starts.
The finest part of that play? Browns extremely fast recovery after Dragics ball fake. He was all over in Game 3, requiring turnovers and putting pressure on Miamis defense without being negligent with the ball..
Tatum and Brown comprehended that they required to make Miami react to them. Neither is a natural when it comes to developing for others at this phase of their respective professions, but theyre coming along.
” We wanted to really attack,” Stevens said. “If were putting it on the floor, we desire to get to the rim and make a play for ourselves or others.
Stevens said that he wasnt troubled by the reality the Celtics lost Thursdays video game. To him, it was more about how they lost, and who the Celtics were going to show themselves to be later. If this is who they are– and this is how Tatum and Brown are going to perform– then Miami is going to need to play at a much greater level than it carried out in Game 3..
2. Hay, hay.
With Gordon Hayward back in the lineup for the very first time considering that spraining his ideal ankle in Game 1 of the preliminary, Boston looked like itself again. Hayward came off the bench, and his existence made every bench lineup utilized meaningfully much better than it wouldve been otherwise..
After a month off, Hayward did not steal the program offensively. He simply suit what the Celtics were doing, running pick-and-rolls, moving without the ball and working as a port. Boston went to its centerless lineup– Walker, Hayward, Brown, Tatum and Marcus Smart– a number of times, and the sheer amount of playmaking on the court was evident..
” To have him back is whatever,” Tatum stated, describing the group as more vibrant, more flexible and “a lot better” with Hayward on the court.
Stevens didnt anticipate Hayward to play 31 minutes, but some nasty difficulty made it essential and the extended break showing up made it tenable. He scored just six points on 2-for-7 shooting however had four helps, 5 rebounds, three takes and a block..
” He is a supporting force for our team,” Sevens said. “He just can make the best play and make a play for someone else at the ideal time.”.
One example: With about 3 minutes left in the game, Boston had a 10-point lead and it looked like the Heat were about to get a stop. The Celtics had used most of the shot clock trying to create an advantage however stopped working to do so up until Hayward established Walker for a drive-and-kick corner 3..
3. Super Herro?
Its type of incredible that the Heat were only down 63-50 at halftime considering how little they had going on offensively. Boston started the video game with Smart securing Dragic, an adjustment clearly targeted at interfering with the Dragic-Adebayo pick-and-roll.
Although Adebayo was great, this was effective– Dragic couldnt find any sort of rhythm. Jimmy Butler wasnt being especially assertive, either, and, if not for Herros heroics, the very first half would have been a full-on disaster for Miami..
Herro scored 18 points in the first half on 6-for-10 shooting, consisting of 4-for-6 from deep. In one stretch that covered 2 minutes and 17 seconds, he made four successive jumpers, three of them from behind the arc.
Boston needs to more than happy about how it limited Herro in the second half, however, and the Heat requirement to find out whats going on with its sluggish starts. Miami might have the lead in the series, however its offending problems are progressively uncomfortable. The Celtics played a smarter, more aggressive video game on Saturday, and the Heat have a few days to determine how to respond in a similar way..
