Celtics Show No Mercy in Game One Win Over the Heat
Boston - Game One of the Eastern Conference playoff quarterfinals belongs to the Boston Celtics, dominating the Miami Heat. This is the start of the Celtics revenge tour after losing to the Heat (4-3) in last year’s Eastern Conference Championship series. This is the third straight season where these two teams have met in the playoffs, but Boston is a different team this season. I expect this series to be over rather quickly, either a 4-0 sweep or a 4-1 series win for the Celtics.
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics got off to a quick start, going on a 14-0 run to open the first quarter. Brown scored five of those early points with a deep three and a ferocious dunk. Bam Adebayo was the only offensive threat early on for the Heat. He scored their first six points, knocking down a few mid-range jumpers. Other than Adebayo, nobody else on the Heat was able to score consistently. Meanwhile, for Boston, they were jacking up threes like their lives depended on it. As a team, they shot 6-18 (33.3%) from the three-point line. At the end of the first quarter, the Celtics led 26-21.
Sam Hauser, three-point specialist, extended the Celtics lead in the opening moments of the second quarter by knocking down back-to-back-to-back triples. He made a total of four three-pointers, all in the second quarter. This Celtics squad could do no wrong in the second quarter, scoring with ease and playing lock-down defense. At the half, Boston led 60-45. Jayson Tatum led three box score categories (points, rebounds, assists), with 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Tyler Herro was not able to get anything going offensively, having the worst +/- on the floor with -19.
The Celtics didn’t have the same intensity coming out in the second half. They looked content with the lead and were playing “not to lose”. Jaime Jaquez Jr. brought the fire and intensity the Heat were in desperate need of. He was playing fearless, driving into the paint and finishing amongst the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. That didn’t last long though as the Celtics kept grabbing offensive rebounds and kicking it out for three. This has been the bread and butter for the Celtics all year long. At the end of the third quarter, the C’s held a 32-point lead, signifying that they were not going to play around this series.
The Celtics at one point had scored 57 points off of three-point shots alone, while Miami had only scored 59 points in total. This showcases the pure dominance the Celtics have from beyond the two-point arc. Being that the Celtic’s starters have had 10 days to rest, they stayed in the game to get used to playing heavy minutes. Delon Wright was not letting up, leading the charge by going 5/5 from three. The Heat had shrunk a 34-point deficit to 15 points with four minutes left to play. In the end, the Celtics dominance prevailed with Tatum’s first career playoff triple-double. They tied the franchise record with 22 made three-pointers in their 114-94 win over the Heat. Game Two will be back at TD Garden on Wednesday, April 24th.
