The Boston Celtics have found that Marcus Smart and Al Horford are superior.
This year’s defensive players and the one-off All-Defensive Forward fixed their breathtaking defensive performance in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, and the Celtics attack was in line with that effort. The Miami Heat didn’t get a third-quarter response to this fierce first half of Boston. 127-102 loss..
The series is tied one-on-one on the way to Boston Saturday game 3..
“I was excited,” Smart told ESPN after the victory. “I’m sorry I couldn’t go there [in Game 1] I’m going to fight with my teammates. We are playing a really good Miami Heat team, and it is a blessing to be on the same court as them and go to war. It was hard not to be there, but I got to rest, regain my health, see some things, see, come out and play this game. “
Miami’s 18-8 start to the first quarter was a concern for the Celtics, who were bullied in the second half of Game 1.
The Celtics made nine of the first 11 three-point attempts. This is the record for the team playoffs in the first quarter. After a disastrous Game 1 outing, Jaylen Brown converted all three long-distance attempts and scored 11 out of 24 points in the opening quarter. Even Jason Tatum’s two early fouls couldn’t delay the Celtics. The Celtics beat Miami 20-4 in the last four minutes of the first quarter with a superstar on the bench.
Tatum scored 17 out of 27 points in the second quarter, almost comparable to the heat.
“Me and Al, when things got a little bit harder, we calmed down,” Smart added. “I and Al have been doing this for a while. We’ve been doing this the longest on this team. We know what it needs, and it’s all We need. We have to help Jalen and Jason. They are, of course, putting a lot of pressure on them. They are getting it and we are helping them. Must come to. “
Boston led 70-45 in half when the 59/63/100 shoot split and Miami’s 41/32/43 disagreement seemed to be even more biased. The Celtics’top defense returned to favor the Celtics’ suffocated heat outfit in the third quarter of Game 1, scoring 16 points in eight turnovers throughout the two quarters.
Jimmy Butler stimulated his comeback in the third quarter and tried to score 16 out of 29 points in the third quarter, but Miami’s teammates couldn’t keep up with his lead. His three-point play cut Boston’s lead to 82-65, leaving 3:46 third, but the Celtics returned to 25 by the end of the quarter.
To make matters worse, Heat has a PJ Tucker Knee contusion at 7:28 mark in the third quarter.. Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reported that Tucker will have an MRI on Friday morning. Kyle Lowry, the starting point guard, is no longer in the heat. Kyle Lowry’s left hamstring has set him aside in eight of Miami’s last ten games. How fast did the fate of the two teams change from game to game?
Heat Starter has never seen the floor in the fourth quarter. When Celtics coach Ime Udoka pulled the remaining starters away in less than six minutes, Smart left the match with 24 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and a blockade defense. Horford added 10 points to the defensive variety with a 4-4 shot, and the Celtics once again looked like the best team in the east.
– – – – – – –
Ben Rollbach I’m a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Do you have a hint? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
