BSJ Game Report: Celtics 104, Heat 84 - Celtics defense shuts down Heat in Game 3

MIAMI -- Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Heat in Game 3 of their opening round series, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The first quarter was part defensive battle, part cold shooting, with the teams combining to shoot 14-45 from the field. The Celtics hit nine of those and led 21-12, a lead they immediately increased against Miami’s zone. Then Derrick White and Jayson Tatum fueled a big finish to the half to give Boston a 24-point halftime lead. Miami made a push early in the third but Boston not only held them off, they ended up adding two points to their lead. Miami stayed feisty in the fourth, but it never got uncomfortable for Boston.

Box Score

HEADLINES 

- It’s how you respond: Game 2 was a rough one, but good teams respond to rough performances. The Celtics came out strong and fixed their mistakes from the previous game. It wasn’t perfect or always pretty, but they calmed a lot of fears with this performance.

- Doing it with defense: The contests were stronger. They were up on the ball, making Heat ball handlers uncomfortable. They generally rebounded well. They got everything they needed from the defense to make life tough on Miami.

- Helping hands: Kristaps Porzingis played very well after a no-show in Game 2, giving Boston 18 points. White stepped up with 16. That's production they sorely missed in the last game. 

“(Porzingis is) probably our most important guy on our team for what we’re trying to accomplish,” Tatum said after the game. “I knew he was going to have a better game and bounce back. And just the way he started out the game on both ends of the floor, being active, when he’s protecting the rim, contesting shots, we’re a whole different team.”

TURNING POINT

The Celtics went on an 18-8 run to close the second quarter, turning a 12-point game into a 22-point game at the half. White scored all 12 of his second-quarter points in this run. 

THINGS I LIKED 

- The defense: Some of this falls into the make/miss category, but it also shows what I’ve been saying about guarding this Heat team. If you make their lives tough early on, they won’t get into the rhythm and confidence they need to hit a ton of shots later. Miami missed almost all of those momentum-swinging 3-pointers they made in Game 2. 

“I think our attention to detail on the defensive end today was a lot better than the last game,” Tatum said. “We tried our best to just not let them get comfortable, get in a rhythm. They’re going to make shots but just try to make it as tough as you can as often as you can.”

Boston held Miami to their lowest point total of the year, and they put up 24 points off turnovers. 

- Derrick White: That second-quarter stretch was amazing. And just like we are sick of seeing the Heat randomly shoot 50% from 3 on high volume, Miami has to be sick of seeing White fly in for crazy putbacks. 

“He's an incredible player and all those offensive boards at one point,” Porzingis said. “The free throw one was was special. He's just such a special player and I love having him on my team.”

- Jaylen Brown: He had a nice bounce back from a tough defensive Game 2 while putting up a nice, efficient, 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block, and just one turnover. 

- Payton Pritchard: How this man continues to get the offensive rebounds he gets astounds me. Pritchard needed a bounceback after a nothing game, and he delivered. 

“Payton is one of the most confident guys I’ve ever been around,” Tatum said. “He walks out there like he’s the best player. To have that confidence is special and we need him to be like that: being aggressive on both ends, being able to attack closeouts and create his own shot, create for others. And to have that off the bench is special.”

- Joe Mazzulla: Just for some very timely timeouts that he called to help settle his guys down. There was one in the third where the team was getting a little sloppy and watching their lead dwindle a little bit. Boston answered with a little 8-4 burst to stop a Heat run. 

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE

- 82 shot attempts: I bring this up just to say there are still some stretches where they play a little too slow for my liking. This a is a nit I don’t mind picking because it’s more about them staying focused on the task at hand. Keep pushing the pace until Mazzulla pulls the plug.

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- A lot of the same things happened in Game 3, they just went a different way

Miami tried to do a lot of the same things that worked in Game 3, but the Celtics played better defense and it blew up what the Heat were trying to do. The ball pressure and more aggressive closeouts forced Miami to push into 2-point territory. 

Miami got 77 shots in Game 3. They took 75 in Game 2, but 43 of those were 3-pointers. They only took 28 on Saturday night. 

The Celtics, for that matter, took two more shots tonight than in Game 2. They were 11-37 from 3 tonight versus 12-32. So Boston kept attacking and taking a lot of similar shots. They just attacked more quickly. Look at how Brown went at Tyler Herro on this play: 

That's decisive and quick. There was no waiting for a guy to get out of his way because the spacing was good immediately. There was no messing around. He had Herro on his heels and never let the help get into place. 

The Celtics didn’t do a ton differently. They played better defense and prevented Miami from getting comfortable. They got to their spacing quicker and that led them to make quicker decisions and run better offense. 

“At the end of the day the game is pretty simple,” Mazzulla said. “You’ve got to find the simple things you can execute, the simple things that you can take away, and how do you bring the right mindset and physicality. … You’ve just got to bring it, mentally, physically and emotionally. You’ve just got to bring it. You’ve got to execute.”

Next up: Game 4 will be in Miami on Monday. The time is still to be determined.