MIAMI — Everything you need to know about the Celtics' Game 3 loss to the Miami Heat, with BSJ insight and analysis.
IN A NUTSHELL
Boston put together an early run but they were outscored 21-10 over the final 8 minutes of the first quarter thanks to some blistering shooting. The Celtics imploded in the second quarter and fell behind by 22. They recovered a little to make a 15-point game at the half. They cut it to 12 in the third, but then everything fell apart as Miami outscored Boston 32-14 after that. The Heat built a 33-point lead and never looked back.
HEADLINES
Embarrassing: “I don't even know where to start,” Jaylen Brown said after the game. “An obvious letdown. I feel like we let our fan base, organization down, we let ourselves down, and it was collective. We could point fingers, but in reality, it was just embarrassing.”
He said it all. For the first time this season, I’m in shock over a result. It’s one thing to lose, but to get worked this badly and to just flat-out quit on a game is beyond outrageous. I have no answers for anyone on that one. The Celtics didn't have any either, with everyone more in a state of shock or disbelief at being in this situation.
Cold shooting: Boston was built on 3-point shooting. They shot 11-42 (26.2%) in Game 3 while Miami shot 19-35 (54.3%). Miami is shooting 47.8% from 3 in the series while Boston is shooting 29.2%. I fully acknowledge the much larger issues at play right now, but at the same time, it’s almost impossible to win with that big of a disparity when the team’s entire offensive identity is wrapped up in 3-point shooting.
That’ll just about do it: No one has ever come back from a 3-0 hole in the NBA playoffs. Of course, there has to be a first one somewhere along the way, but I have a hard time believing it will be this group after the way they looked in this game.
“We're not out yet. It is 3-0. I know what it looks like,” Al Horford said. “I think I saw the other day, 0-149 or something like that. So, we're not out yet. We're still kicking. One of four teams that are still kicking.”
There's no reason to be optimistic at all, but I do feel the need to at least mention the outside chance, no matter how unlikely, of Boston making the comeback.
TURNING POINT
Miami’s answer after Smart’s 3-point play to start the third quarter put this thing away. The Celtics had nothing as the Heat kept hitting shots.
TWO UP
Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet: I want to sneak a little positivity into this mess of a night. Shout out to those guys for coming in and playing their butts off.
THREE DOWN
Jayson Tatum: 14 points on 6-18 shooting (1-7 3pt). He never seemed to reach full effort in this game. It’s mind-boggling how casual he seemed on the floor for long stretches. In the middle of the third-quarter meltdown, he jogged back and left the closest man to him to pick up someone else, and that turned into a 3-pointer. Then he just lost the ball the next trip down.
Jaylen Brown: 6-17 shooting for Brown and 0-7 from 3 to finish with 12 points. It’s inconceivable that two All-NBA players could both be such no-shows. Each had 3 turnovers as well.
Malcolm Brogdon: Games like this are why he’s here. Zero points from Brogdon in a game of this magnitude is inexcusable.
TOP PLAYS
TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
- This is weird
I’m sorry, but this isn’t just some loss. This isn’t just some departure from the script.
One of these teams looks like a top seed that has been dominant most of the season and regarded as the runaway contender. The other looks like an eighth seed that barely made the playoffs.
I just find it hard to believe this team would have this much quit in them in such a big moment. It makes you think there's more to this.
“We're not connected,” Joe Mazzulla said, “Usually at our best, we're connected, we're together, we're physical on the defensive end, and we don't have that right now.”
How does it go away so quickly?
- Mazzulla is part of the problem, but not THE problem
Mazzulla spent the postgame presser taking all the blame, which is what he’s supposed to do.
But the players play. It starts there. No matter what the game plan, no matter what might be going on in the locker room, they have to come out and play hard. They didn’t do that.
“Coach is saying that, he's being generous,” Horford said. “At the end of the day, that falls on each player. We know what we have to do. We knew the magnitude of this game. As a player, I take responsibility because we didn't have what we needed to have.”
Maybe Mazzulla gets booted after this season after all. Maybe he doesn’t. It’s clear Boston is struggling with what Miami does, but they're also struggling with Miami’s effort, and that's on the players.
If you need a coach to get ready for a game like this, then get out of the sport. If you need some kind of speech to motivate you for an ECF game down 2-0, then hang up your sneakers and find another line of work.
This is big boy basketball, and everyone out there knows the stakes and what’s necessary to win. Miami is doing all of that, and Boston is playing catch up.
The coach bears some responsibility for that, but the players bear more of it. This is on them first and foremost.
Next up: Game 4 is Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m.