The Celtics, challenged to play with more defensive intensity after the Heat’s stunning win in Game 2, smothered the Heat in a 104-84 win to take a 2-1 series edge.
MIAMI — After perhaps the most surprising result of the postseason thus far — the shorthanded, No. 8-seeded Heat beating the No. 1-seeded Celtics in Game 2 to tie the first-round series — it was natural to wonder how things would play out in the pivotal Game 3.
Would Boston, after the head-scratching loss, rebound and again resemble the club that won the East by 14 games in the regular season? Or had coach Erik Spoelstra and his scrappy group found a formula it could repeat to play spoiler in the series for a second straight postseason?
The answer, emphatically, was the former.
After surrendering 23 3-pointers in their Game 2 loss, the Celtics were far more active and physical defensively Saturday and smothered the Heat in a 104-84 Game 3 win to take a 2-1 series edge.
Game 4 is Monday in Miami.
Boston stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown said coach Joe Mazzulla challenged them to play with more defensive intensity after watching Miami go off from deep in Game 2.
« Everybody knows how talented we are. But can we be the tougher, harder-playing team? » said Tatum, who finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
