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MIAMI — The Warmth tortured the Celtics by forcing them to look within the mirror on Tuesday, switching disruptively, inflicting turnovers and sprinting out in transition on a 39-14 run within the third quarter to flip an evening that in any other case went in Boston’s favor right into a Sport 1 setback.
The Miami zone, which Ime Udoka and the Celtics watched movie of within the quick window between sequence, didn’t issue prominently into the Warmth’s Sport 1 win. Erik Spoelstra wanted to resolve whether or not to lean into what labored properly, or maintain Boston off-balance.
“It relies upon,” Spoelstra informed Celtics Weblog on Thursday earlier than Sport 2. “That staff two years in the past was completely completely different, so you possibly can’t even evaluate. It depends upon what’s known as for within the recreation. The depth, urgency and a focus to element was excellent within the second half, it wasn’t within the first half. It was a story of two halves.”
Thursday’s 127-102 Celtics win in Sport 2 turned a story of two halves of the primary quarter, each groups constructing double-digit leads within the frantic opening minutes earlier than Boston set out on a 62-27 explosion to guide by as many as 29 factors earlier than halftime. The Warmth had switched to a zone with an early 18-10 lead after disrupting Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of their conventional appears to be like early, giving the Celtics shops to open shooters on the perimeter.
Brown — who dribbled himself into hassle thrice early and threw the ball away — took a decisive three and located Payton Pritchard for a drive-and-kick on one other after Tatum checked again in together with his second foul halfway by the body. With assist from Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams, the Celtics buried six straight triples to shut the primary quarter and sprinted forward with rhythm in hand.
Boston entered the second quarter on a 27-6 run, Tatum zipping a cross to Williams on the again line for a chopping two earlier than Brown and Al Horford discovered Williams on the weak facet for back-to-back threes. Udoka entered the sequence noting that the Celtics had struggled towards zone early within the yr earlier than bettering and seeing groups rapidly abandon it once they tried it towards the extra pass-happy Celtics. Sensible and Horford’s return from foot damage and COVID protocol, respectively, gave Boston extra shops for facilitation.
So Tatum bought off the ball to start out the second, catching a burying a 3 from Brown after blaming himself for the Sport 1 loss with how he led Boston’s offense. He slipped to the basket in his two-man recreation with Sensible and adopted with a driving layup of his personal. Tatum completed the primary half with 20 factors, whereas the Celtics compelled the Warmth to fall to a 3-for-12 swoon with 5 turnovers between the primary and second quarters. After runout scores by Tatum and Williams, and a Pritchard three, Boston led by 19 on a 37-10 run.
Williams III checked again in with a put-back following Sensible’s missed mid-range jumper, falling on his behind as he pumped his fist. Boston’s starters initially struggled after solely taking part in three video games and 28 minutes collectively this postseason, getting outscored by 5 factors per 100 possession after a league-best +24 common season throughout over 400 minutes collectively. Horford dropped too low and Williams III performed too far off P.J. Tucker, who scored 5 straight factors because the Warmth managed the early minutes.
Udoka rapidly switched to Grant, who alongside Horford rekindled their defensive power from the second spherical towards Milwaukee. Horford trapped Herro and compelled a journey close to half courtroom earlier than Grant caught Horford’s outlet cross and posted Tucker forward of the remainder of the protection to construct a 29-point lead simply earlier than halftime.
Butler led varied small rallies into the second half, his largest a 10-2 push to inside 17 factors halfway by the third quarter. He attacked the rim aggressively whereas the Celtics launched jumpers, however the Warmth misplaced the ball early and late within the quarter making an attempt to attract Horford into actions. Sensible paced Boston’s lead with a 3 and pull-up two, dropping Max Strus to the ground with a crossover.
Miami, caught behind by 22 factors late within the third quarter, checked Duncan Robinson into the sport hoping to chase the Celtics’ taking pictures, however discovered nothing. Tinkering, partly, misplaced the Warmth homecourt benefit, however an exhilarating five-day run the place Boston gained Sport 7, misplaced Sensible and Horford, then returned them to their lineup put the Celtics again in place to dream of a championship. Now seven wins away.
The Celtics return to TD Backyard and host the Warmth in Sport 3, tipping off as soon as once more nearer to eight:45 EST on Saturday night time.
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