BSJ Game Report: Celtics 110, Heat 106 - C's pull out tight win in intense Miami atmosphere

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Heat with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

Kristaps Porzingis scored 11 in the first quarter to give Boston an early four-point lead. They pushed that to 10 in the second behind 10 in the quarter from Jayson Tatum, and the lead settled at nine at halftime. Miami, especially Tyler Herro, got some shots to fall in the third and cut into the lead, but Jrue Holiday helped Boston hold onto a seven-point lead heading into the fourth. Herro helped cut the lead to two, but Boston got the stops they needed and held on. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Playoff intensity: The fourth quarter was pretty intense. We saw guys get up in each other’s faces, Jaylen Brown and Duncan Robinson go at it after Brown tossed him to the ground, and some real tough play down the stretch. No one is going to pretend the execution was perfect over the final five minutes, but Boston got stops when they needed them, made the hustle plays at the end, and won a tough road game. 

- Season sweep: No more Miami on the schedule, which is fine by me. I’m sick of seeing those guys. I hope they get bounced in the play-in or first round because they're just too annoying. Boston won all three games against the Heat, which is by no means any measure of revenge against the Heat, but a sign that no matter where Miami is or who they were missing (Jimmy Butler missed this game because of a death in the family), the Celtics get up to play Miami.  

- Tatum & Porzingis: 51 combined from them (71 when you toss in Brown’s 20). Tatum was one assist shy of a triple-double, while Porzingis finished with nine rebounds and three assists. Both had two blocks, with one of Tatum’s coming late in the fourth on a Bam Adebayo drive. 

TURNING POINT 

The Brown/Robinson altercation. The entire game changed for both sides, so this is more of a turning point for the tone of the game and it going from a regular season game to a playoff-type battle. 

“When they got into it again, I kind of liked it," Porzingis said. "He got the whole crowd into it, it was like it was a good atmosphere. So I think that was good."

This forced the Celtics to raise their game. They had to find a way to close the game out, and while it wasn’t perfect, they did it. 

THINGS I LIKED

- The first half: That was precise execution. If you want to see what Joe Mazzulla is talking about when he mentioned playing with intentionality, that's the half of basketball to watch. That was good process. That was playing the right way, even though all the shots didn’t fall. 

- Porzingis: He continues to be the exact kind of matchup problem the Celtics envisioned when they made the move for him. Miami had no answers for him. 

- Tatum: The wildest stat to me is that Tatum only scored four points in the fourth quarter on two shots. It felt like he was doing a lot more, which is a good thing. 

“I think that just goes to not being defined by one thing,” Mazzulla said after the game. “It wasn’t, obviously, a situation we wanted to put ourselves in at times, but I think Tatum's ability to just not be defined by scoring some games and be defined by everything gives us a different look. I thought his defense was good and I thought his patience on offense was good.” 

- Jrue Holiday: The unsung hero here. He made two huge 3-pointers in the third quarter when the Heat were trying to make a run. If he misses those shots, this whole game goes down differently. He had 15 points and six assists, but nine of those points came in the third quarter. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Jaylen Brown’s finish: Maybe he got too caught up in the moment, but his finish to the game was too sloppy and reminiscent of other sloppy finishes against Miami. To be fair, he also made a couple of big plays, so it wasn’t all bad either, and I’m not here to kill him for it. But he does have to show a little bit more control in those high-intensity situations. 

- Jayson Tatum just two free throws?: You’re telling me a guy like Tatum drove into the lane ten times the way he did and didn’t get fouled once? Not once? 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- The Celtics are clutch … I think

The Celtics are 17-8 in clutch games, third-best in the league. They have delivered in tight games and have the league’s best record overall. 

At the same time, there are probably a handful of games that maybe shouldn’t have fallen into the “clutch” category.

This game was a classic example of this. Should they probably have won by more? Yeah, and the Celtics acknowledge that. At the same time, it’s obvious that Brown/Robinson thing lit a fire under the Heat, and even without Butler they have the talent and coaching to make life tough on any team … but especially Boston. 

Things aren’t going to go their way throughout the playoffs, so some games are going to get out of hand one way or another. Sure, we don’t want to see the games get down to single digits all the time, but their ability to find ways to win those games is what will serve them best when it matters most. 

- Kristaps Porzingis is a joy and a treasure.

Here’s Porzingis reacting to a very serious Jaylen Brown sounding tough when he said he bets Duncan Robinson “won’t do it again” regarding the tie-up in the fourth quarter: 

He’s doing all he can to not laugh and I love it. Not that he’s not taking Brown seriously. I think he just loves the beef that much. Just look at him while the whole thing was going down: 

They need to double Brad Stevens salary just for the entertainment value Porzingis has given us this season by being the happiest NBA player I have ever seen in my life.

Next up: Boston travels to Brooklyn for the first night of a road/home back-to-back on Tuesday night.