Celtics take third-quarter punch, can’t recover in Game 1 loss to Heat
It wasn’t a secret who the Celtics were dealing with in these Eastern Conference Finals.
They’ve seen the Heat on this stage three times now in the last four years. They know their identity, their culture. They might not have the talent the Celtics do, but they have the fight to make up for it.
They know this. On the eve of this rematch, Malcolm Brogdon vowed the Celtics wouldn’t let the Heat out-tough them.
For one quarter, they let it happen anyway. It cost them the game. And now they have to dig themselves out of another early hole.
Jimmy Butler scored 35 points as the Heat marched into TD Garden to steal Game 1 on Wednesday. The Celtics were in control, until they came out of halftime slow. The Heat were relentless with their emphatic response, producing a huge third quarter, and never looked back. The Celtics couldn’t recover and suffered a 123-116 loss.
The Celtics are not facing the Hawks or the 76ers anymore, and Game 1 showed what can happen if they’re not ready for the battle their Eastern Conference rivals will bring to them for 48 minutes every night.
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points to lead the Celtics, but committed three costly turnovers in the final minutes as Boston couldn’t stage a late comeback.
The Celtics, after falling behind by double digits entering the fourth, fought back with a 7-0 run in 94 seconds to start the final period, as Jaylen Brown’s runner forced a Miami timeout. But Butler and the Heat kept punching back. Tatum’s aggressiveness kept the C’s in it but Butler responded with some big shots.
