Bolstered by the return of Smart and Horford, The Boston Celtics took this Thursday a resounding victory 127-102 from the field of the Miami Heat with which they tied 1-1 the final of the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The Celtics handed the Heat their first home loss of these playoffs thanks to a monumental first half in which the stellar Jayson Tatum he scored 17 of his 27 points in the second quarter alone.
With fierce intensity on both ends of the pitch, Marcus Smartchosen this season as the NBA’s Best Defensive Player, was key for the reaction of the Celtics signing one of the best games of his career, in which he finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals. The point guard, due to a sprain, and the Dominican Al Horford (10 points), due to the protocol against Covid-19, had been noticeable casualties in Boston’s opening loss last Tuesday. For the Heat, only their leader, Jimmy Butler, with 29 points, stood up to the forceful collective performance of Boston. “They tried to shame us, and they did,” he said.
Marcus Smart, another of the figures of the party. (AFP)
The match
On Thursday, the series seemed to be going ahead for the Heat when they started the game with an 18-8 run and four 3-pointers made. But the success changed sides dramatically and the Celtics began to bombard the Heat from the outside line until they finished the first quarter with 9 triples of 11 attempts (81.8%).
With six of their seven rotation players scoring from long range, the Celtics put on a recital of ball circulation until they found the best-placed teammate. Tatum, in another museum piece of his dazzling Playoffs, spearheaded a team chasing its first Finals since 2010. and that has already left candidates like the Nets and the Bucks, defending champions, on the way.
The stupor at the Miami bank. (AFP)
The Celtics went into the break with 70 points scored, their most on the road in a first half in the playoffs since 1972. Around the locker room, and down 25 points, the only Heat player to react was Butler, who came from achieving 41 points on Tuesday.
The shooting guard tried to lead the resistance by adding 16 points in a third quarter in which he also did his best in defense. Miami cut the deficit to 18 points but Celtics coach Ime Udoka stopped the momentum with a timeout and his charges regained control.
The flip side among the Boston substitutes. (AFP)
Center Bam Adebayo (6 points and 9 rebounds) and shooting guard Tyler Herro (11 points), Butler’s usual offensive allies, were blurred and alternatives from the bench such as Victor Oladipo or Duncan Robinson did not change the course of the game either. In the middle of the fourth quarter, a large part of the Heat fans left their seats when they saw that the Celtics came to have a 31-point advantage..
what’s coming
Boston will now have home court advantage in the next two games of the tie, beginning with Game 3 on Saturday at TD Garden.
The winner of this series will face the Dallas Mavericks or the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, who dominate the West tie 1-0.
The best five plays of the match
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NBA Playoffs: Boston thrashing Miami for 1-1 in the Eastern final