Celtics vs. Heat score, takeaways: Boston bounces back, blows out Miami in Game 4 to even up Eastern finals

The Japanese Convention finals is now tied after the Boston Celtics dominates the Miami Warmth in Sport 4 to seize a 102-82 win Monday evening. It was by no means actually shut, as Boston capitalized off Miami’s taking pictures struggles to hold a commanding 24-point lead into halftime and by no means regarded again from there. Jayson Tatum led the way in which for the Celtics with 31 factors, eight rebounds and 5 assists, nevertheless it was actually a workforce effort as 4 of Boston’s 5 starters scored in double figures.

Victor Oladipo shouldered the scoring load for the Warmth as he completed with 23 factors. The Warmth struggled all evening lengthy to get something happening offense, and because of this they’re going to now head again to Miami with the sequence tied at two video games apiece. Sport 5 will happen on Wednesday in Miami as each side attempt to achieve a bonus in a back-and-forth battle. 

Listed here are three takeaways from Boston’s blowout win over Miami in Sport 4.

1. Bounce-back evening for Tatum

Tatum completed Sport 3 placing up simply 10 factors in 40 minutes of motion. The Warmth defended him extremely effectively in that contest, as he shot simply 21.4 p.c from the sphere and went 1 of seven from 3-point territory. His subpar scoring efficiency was one of many principal causes the Celtics misplaced that recreation, regardless of Jaylen Brown going off for 40 factors. So it was apparent that Tatum would attempt to get going early in Sport 4 to keep away from a repeat efficiency from his earlier recreation. 

Quick ahead to Monday evening and Tatum surpassed his level whole from the earlier recreation with two minutes left within the first quarter. He wasn’t simply making the straightforward photographs — one thing that he struggled with in Sport 3 — however he was additionally pulling down some extremely tough appears regardless of Miami’s protection being draped throughout him. On a number of events he drove to the rim and contorted his physique simply sufficient to keep away from potential blocks from Bam Adebayo and end sturdy on the rim. He nonetheless struggled to get issues going from lengthy vary, however he feasted off what the Warmth gave him on the rim and from mid vary. It is the precise sort of efficiency the Celtics wanted from Tatum after a disappointing exhibiting in Sport 3, and his aggressive play from begin to end helped lead his workforce again to even this sequence earlier than hitting the highway once more. 

2. A traditionally unhealthy evening on offense for the Warmth

Miami began out Sport 4 lacking its first 14 photographs straight, and fell behind by 17 factors within the course of. A made triple by Oladipo with 3:22 left within the first quarter ended that drought, however by that point Boston had already labored up a 14-point lead, and the sport actually felt over from that time. Miami placing up only one level within the first eight minutes of the sport have been the fewest points from a playoff team within the final 25 years of the league. To make issues worse, the 11 factors Miami totaled within the first quarter have been the fewest in franchise historical past. The Warmth completed the evening taking pictures simply 33.3 p.c from the sphere and 38.9 p.c from 3-point territory, and because of this this recreation was over with a couple of minutes to go within the third quarter.

So yeah, you can say it was a tough day on the workplace for the Warmth. These taking pictures struggles solely magnified the significance of Tyler Herro on this workforce, who was sidelined for Sport 4 with a groin damage. Herro’s skill to create his personal shot, whereas additionally creating scoring alternatives for his teammates is integral to Miami’s success, and his absence was deafening Monday evening. Oladipo tried his finest to fill that void off the bench as he led all Warmth scorers with 23 factors, however when Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Butler mix for simply 18 factors, Miami is not going to win many video games. These 18 factors by the Warmth starters have been the fewest scored by a workforce’s beginning lineup in a playoff recreation because the 1970-71 season. Tatum, in the meantime, scored extra factors (31) than all 5 Miami starters mixed (18).

Although the Warmth struggled closely in Sport 4, it have to be talked about that Butler, Lowry, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and PJ Tucker all appeared on the damage report along with Herro heading into this matchup. Butler has been coping with knee irritation and did not play within the second half of Sport 3 due to it, so it is unclear how a lot that impacted his efficiency Monday evening. Whereas each workforce remaining within the playoffs is coping with a wide range of accidents, it was clear Monday evening that a few of Miami’s gamers have been feeling the results of this continuous playoff schedule. We’ll need to see how the Warmth reply in Sport 5 on their dwelling ground, as a result of in the event that they present up taking part in like they did in Sport 4, then they need to anticipate the identical consequence once more. 

3. Forwards and backwards this sequence goes

The story of this sequence has been about which workforce can get out on a run and preserve it. In Sport 1, Miami outscored Boston by 24 factors within the third quarter which ended up being the difference-maker in that contest. In Sport 2, the Celtics returned the favor by outscoring the Warmth by 25 factors within the second half and maintaining their foot on the fuel in that win. Miami responded in Sport 3 with a 39-point, first-quarter efficiency that helped carry them to what ended up being a closely-contested recreation. 

With Boston’s Sport 4 blowout, the theme of the profitable workforce getting out to an enormous lead continued and as this sequence shifts again to Miami for Sport 5, we’ll need to see if that development continues. This is not how I anticipated this sequence to go given how formidable each groups might be on protection. So the considered both workforce getting out to those enormous leads that for probably the most half have been the difference-maker within the recreation has been actually shocking. It looks like neither workforce has been in a position to set up consistency from game-to-game, in order that development will possible proceed for the rest of this sequence. So should you’re the Warmth, regardless of the poor exhibiting in Sport 4, you’ve to be ok with your possibilities to bounce again given the seesaw nature of this sequence.