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The Celtics fell apart late once again and find themselves on the brink against the Heat after dropping Game 2, 111-105.
Here are the takeaways as the series shifts back to Miami.
1. We have a great number of places we could start when describing why the Celtics lost on Friday, but we’ll open with Jaylen Brown, who submitted one of his worst performances of the playoffs. Brown was 7-for-23 from the field and 1-for-7 from deep with 16 points and two turnovers. In a game the Celtics lost by six, he was -24.
Much of the damage was done in the first half when Tatum sat for the first time. With Brown on the floor as the lone star, the Celtics let go of the rope and watched a 12-point lead slide away completely under the weight of a 17-2 run by the Heat.
But Brown also made a number of questionable decisions. With Tatum cooking in the first quarter, Brown missed a couple of shots that seemed to disrupt the rhythm. He took a couple of questionable 3-pointers. He tried to finish off a triple-teamed layup after an offensive rebound at an important moment in the fourth quarter.
Brown has been excellent in the postseason, but Friday’s misstep came at an enormously costly time for the Celtics.
2. A quick glance at Grant Williams’ box score suggests a pretty successful return to the rotation — nine points, 4-for-6 shooting, a 3-pointer, and a couple of assists in 25 minutes — and for most of Friday’s game, Williams played well.
Then Williams took it upon himself to bark at Jimmy Butler coming back down the court after hitting a 3-pointer, getting right in the Heat star’s face. Butler smirked, then scored over Williams and drew a foul. The duo then went head to head. They were separated and slapped with a technical apiece.
Perhaps Donovan Mitchell said it best.
Williams scored a floater and a dunk, but Butler went at him repeatedly, and Williams couldn’t get a stop.
