The Celtics Annihilate the Heat in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Playoffs
Miami - The Boston Celtics had a totally different mindset coming into the game tonight. After losing in Game Two, they wanted to get their revenge tonight. They did not fool around whatsoever, ensuring that they were going to give everything they had on both sides of the floor. The Heat lost their shooting touch, only scoring 84 points in the loss. This was Boston’s get-back game, and they played exactly how a number one seed should play.
The Celtics wasted no time, asserting dominance over the Heat. Kristaps Porzingis knocked down two early threes, already improving from his Game Two performance. He and Derrick White are the glue that holds this team together. If both of these players get going, good luck to their opponent. Besides Porzingis, nobody else was able to score consistently. It was a gritty, physical defensive stand by both teams. After Miami set a new franchise record for made threes in a playoff game, they started 1/9 from deep. At the end of the first quarter, Boston had gained a sizable lead of 21-12.
The Celtics continued to look like every bit of the number one seed that they are. Coach Spoelstra immediately called a timeout, less than one minute into the second quarter. He did not like the energy and intensity his team was playing with. To quote Brian Anderson, play-by-play announcer, “This game reminds me a lot of Game One.” The first half was completely dominated in every category by the Celtics. Jayson Tatum turned up the heat in the second quarter, totaling 15 points. Derrick White’s second-quarter performance can’t go unnoticed either. The starting guard for the Celtics scored all 12 of his points in the second quarter. At the end of an underwhelming half for the Heat, they trailed 63-39.
When coverage returned to Kaseya Center, it was very noticeable that Heat fans had left their seats. After an embarrassing first half, Heat faithful want no part in participating in the second half. Surprisingly, Bam Adebayo led his squad to a 10-2 run, forcing Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout and slow things down. The Heat were slowly crawling back until the Celtics got back to their regular scheduled programming. With emotions rising, Tyler Herro picked up a technical foul for throwing the basketball at Sam Hauser's lower body. The competitive nature that flows through athletes had evaporated from Herro and his teammates. Their body language signaled that they had given up with a quarter still left to play.
The fourth quarter wasn’t anything memorable. The Celtics were just playing with their food at this point. Mazzulla left all his starters in up until the 2:29 minute mark. Finishing with another double-double, Tatum was easily the player of the game. With Boston annihilating the Heat 104-84, they will look to win Game Four on Monday, April 29.
