It’s the Celtics’ Turn for a Romp

On Monday, the benefit belonged to Boston from the beginning. The Celtics have been faster to free balls, extra energetic in disrupting passing lanes and extra coordinated in switches, limiting high quality appears to be like for Miami. They have been extra pressing in getting again on protection and rotating within the paint, not permitting the Warmth to push for quick breaks as they did on Saturday. Boston’s protection was so efficient that Miami shot solely two 3-pointers within the opening quarter, limiting their probability at making up the deficit till it was too late. It was the precise type of power that Boston sorely missed within the first half of Sport 3. Miami’s starters mixed for 18 factors.

What made the sport even stranger is that the Celtics didn’t play properly offensively. They have been solely 5 for 27 from 3 once they entered the fourth quarter up 24 factors and the sport was successfully over. They ended the sport capturing 39.7 p.c from the sector, a proportion that might lead to a loss on most nights, not a blowout win. Additionally they gained despite a poor sport from guard Jaylen Brown, who shot 5 for 20 from the sector for 12 factors.

Miami, a workforce that likes to pleasure itself on its hustle tradition, gave up 10 offensive rebounds within the first half. Warmth middle Bam Adebayo, who lastly broke out for 31 factors in Sport 3, reverted again to being tentative, capturing the ball solely twice within the first half. He completed with 9 factors. Largely, this was due to the presence of Celtics middle Robert Williams III, who missed Sport 3 due to knee soreness. Williams, who was named to the All Defensive Second Crew final week, made life troublesome on the rim for Miami. He had 12 factors and 9 rebounds in solely 19 minutes.

“We shouldn’t should get punched within the mouth to reply,” Williams mentioned of the workforce’s poor begins in its losses.

Maybe this sport was inevitable. The Celtics haven’t misplaced two video games in a row your complete postseason. Of their semifinal matchup towards the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston responded to letdowns with three robust performances. Nobody has been extra indicative of the Celtics’ fortunes this postseason than their prime participant, Jayson Tatum — a Jekyll and Hyde famous person.

There are nights when Tatum appears to be like like among the finest gamers within the league. These nights are sometimes coming off Boston defeats. Together with Monday night time’s 31-point efficiency, Tatum has averaged 32.6 factors after the Celtics’ losses through the postseason. He was aggressive in attacking the basket, attending to the road 16 occasions, greater than every other sport on this playoff run.

However when Tatum performs poorly, he appears to be like extra out of kinds than most superstars. His shoulders hunch. He settles for troublesome step-back jumpers, complains to referees and doesn’t get again as aggressively on protection. In Sport 3 towards the Bucks, Tatum had solely 10 factors and shot 4 of 19 from the sector. On Saturday night time, Tatum had an analogous efficiency — scoring 10 factors on 3-of-14 capturing.