The Boston Celtics returned significantly on Thursday night, reaching a dominant 127-102 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics have already stolen the advantage on the home court and tied the series 1-1. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday night in Boston.
In the beginning, everything was Heat, as they jumped to a double-digit lead. However, this turned out to be the highlight of the evening for them, as the Celtics turned the game upside down, continued 17-0 and had their own double-digit lead until the end of the first quarter. They withdrew in the second quarter to take a 25-point break and the game was never in doubt again. Jason Tatum led with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Jaylon Brown scored 24 points and eight rebounds.
Marcus Smart, meanwhile, has returned from a leg injury that prevented him from taking part in Match 1 to give up 24 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists and three steals. The Celtics had another great performance in the shooting and passed 20 of 40 out of 3 points.
Jimmy Butler led Heath with 29 points and six rebounds, but didn’t get much help. Gabe Vincent, who finished with 14 points, was the only other double-digit starter. Heath also lost PJ Tucker to a knee injury, and his status, which is moving forward, is unclear.
Here are some key findings from the game:
Smart is shown in exchange for a leg injury
The Celtics were without Marcus Smart (straining the foot) and Al Horford (health and safety protocols) in Game 1 and they were heavily missed at both ends of the floor. In particular, the Celtics were able to use their leadership and balance as the Heat continued their huge cycle in the third quarter on Tuesday night.
However, both players returned to action in Game 2 and played a big part in the Celtics’ victory. Horford was perfect 4 of 4 on the field and finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists. Smart, however, was the real factor in the difference. In one of his best performances this postseason, he scored 21 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists and three steals.
His defense, as always, was phenomenal, and his return made things much harder for Hate.
“As always, he sets the tone,” said Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. “Defensive player of the year with a reason. Ability to switch and switch to larger bodies. Just another good defender to throw against (Jimmy) Butler and (Bam) Adebayo and some of these guys and you don’t have to worry about them trying to pick certain matches. He carries physical strength every night. Somehow he arranges everyone else. “
On the other hand, his playmake was in place as he did the right reading over and over and took a lot of pressure off Jason Tatum. The demolition of five 3-pointers with high teams certainly did not hurt and as an amazing sign he made Max Strus fall with a small dribble maneuver.
The first quarter of the Celtics turned out to be decisive
In match 1 on Tuesday night, the Celtics were ahead after the break at halftime and seemed to have a chance to steal the victory without some key players. Instead, the Heat lasted 22-2 for five minutes to reverse control of the game, and withdrew for a double-digit victory.
The opposite scenario took place on Thursday night – although much earlier in the game. Miami shot the ball extremely well in the first few minutes and took control with an early double-digit lead. This advantage did not last long, the Celtics responded almost immediately with a series of 17-0 to take control, built an 11-point lead at the end of the first and never fell behind.
This 17-0 series was the longest for the Celtics in the entire postseason
C ignited it again from 3-point ground
The Celtics had some great 3-point results during the playoffs. Most importantly, they knocked down 22 3 in their 7-game win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. They returned to this on Thursday night, using another impressive shooting display to dissipate the heat in Game 2.
Smart of all players led by five games, while Tatum and Brown knocked down four. In total, the Celtics came out of the center for the most effective performance of 3 points in the playoffs. This was their third playoff game with at least 20 3 points, which is tied for the most in a postseason by a team.
Although they shot well all night, the Celtics were especially hot at the start of the match. They passed 9 of 11 behind the arc in the first quarter and hit five in a row during their game-changing 17-0 run. This type of shooting is just demoralizing for the opposing team and Heat never recovered.
The heat faces more potential injury problems
There was a lot of focus on the Celtics’ injury problems in Game 1, with Smart and Horford unable to play. However, The Heat has some problems of its own in the health department. Veteran Pointguard Kyle Lowry is struggling with a hamstring problem and has not played since Match 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
Now Heat may also have to keep an eye on PJ Tucker. He left Game 2 with a knee injury and did not play in the second half. Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra said Tucker is adamant that he will be ready for Match 3, but will undergo an additional evaluation on Friday, including an MRI of Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
The 37-year-old Tucker is one of the toughest players in the league, so you could probably bet on him to play. However, this is a concern for Heat, as he is one of their most important defenders.
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