For two days, the Boston Celtics stewed over their defeat on home turf. And when they finally hit the court again, they unleashed all their pent-up frustration.
The outcome? A defensive masterpiece.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown spearheaded a balanced attack, each contributing 22 points as the Celtics cruised to a resounding 104-84 victory over the Miami Heat on Saturday night, seizing a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff showdown.
“We didn’t overhaul our strategy,” remarked Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “We simply upped our intensity, imposed our physicality, and dictated the pace of the game. It’s about executing the fundamentals under pressure and adversity, and I believe our guys executed that brilliantly tonight.”
Game 4 looms on Monday in Miami, where the Celtics boast an impressive 9-2 record in their last 11 visits and a formidable 6-1 record in their recent playoff outings.
Tatum also chipped in with 10 rebounds and six assists, further bolstering the Celtics’ dominance from start to finish in Game 3, as they wrestled back the home-court advantage surrendered after Miami’s Game 2 triumph in Boston. Kristaps Porzingis notched 18 points, while Derrick White added 16 for the Celtics.
The defensive prowess displayed by Boston in this encounter, juxtaposed with Miami’s offensive struggles, hadn’t been witnessed since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on May 25, 2022—a contest that ended in a 93-80 Celtics victory on the road, propelling them to that season’s NBA Finals. Subsequently, the Heat had consistently surpassed the 84-point mark in every game, while the Celtics had allowed more than 84 points in each of their outings.
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