Final: Heat 118, Celtics 107 - 3rd quarter dooms Celtics in Game 1 loss

What was shaping up to be a commendable road victory for the shorthanded Celtics quickly devolved into disaster on Tuesday night — as the Miami orchestrated a 39-14 run in the third quarter to take a lead they would not relinquish en route to a 118-109 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

After a scorching first half from Jayson Tatum (21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), a strong return for Rob Williams (12 points) and some clutch play off the bench from Payton Pritchard (10 points), the Celtics sleepwalked on the court at FTX Arena coming out of the break  — with a re-engaged Miami defense (and heaps of Celtics turnovers) turning a 62-54 Boston lead into a 93-76 advantage for the Heat.

Boston did try to claw back into the game, outscoring Miami by 14 points in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done. 

Sure, the Celtics were without both Al Horford and Marcus Smart tonight, but to relinquish what was looking like a statement win on the road in to open this series stands as a tough pill to swallow.

Game 2 is set for 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night in Miami. 

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ROUND 3, GAME 1
(1) Miami Heat vs. (2) Boston Celtics
FTX Arena
8:30 PM - ESPN (Really, it’s 8:45)

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

Boston: Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, Robert Williams

Miami: Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, PJ Tucker, Bam Adebayo

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

((UPDATED))

- Al Horford is in Health & Safety Protocols and is out tonight.

- Robert Williams is available

I’m completely stumped as to how he’s going to be used. Is he starting? Is he coming off the bench? Is he still just a wait-and-see kind of guy? 

We’ll get some clarity when Ime Udoka speaks at 7 PM. 

- Marcus Smart is out with a left midfoot sprain

He suffered it in that bad fall in Game 7. 

“Marcus is still pretty sore. He tested it out a little bit here and we hope he’s better but there’s still some soreness there, some swelling still,” Udoka said after the team’s morning shootaround. 

- Kyle Lowry is out tonight. 

He’s still dealing with a left hamstring strain. 

- Caleb Martin, Max Strus, PJ Tucker, and Gabe Vincent are all questionable. 

They're all expected to play, but we’ll see what the pregame update brings. 

- Miami is favored by 2

Boston is still favored in the series. Vegas might be thinking the short turnround will be an issue for the Celtics. 

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. Miami feeling disrespected: The national narrative is behind Boston in a big way. On ESPN, 16 of their 20 analysts picked Boston, which seems indicative of the general vibe of this series. The Heat are very well aware of that, and they love to feed off the disrespect. Add to that Adebayo’s feeling that he should have been Defensive Player of the Year and Miami will come out super-charged tonight. 

Boston has to be prepared for a big swing from the Heat. Personally, I think it will carry Miami to a Game 1 win and the national media will start pumping their brakes and start heaping love on Miami ahead of Game 2. Boston can avoid that by staying poised, not getting caught up in Miami runs, and ....

2. Sticking to the game plan: The Celtics haven't had a whole lot of time with the game plan. They ran a practice yesterday and flew to Miami, then they had a shoot around this morning. That's a lot after a grueling seven game series. 

“You can look at it two ways - we didn’t get a ton of rest, as opposed to Miami, who had a few days off. But we’re riding some momentum and staying sharp and there’s benefits to that as well,” Udoka said. “But we know them well, what they’re about. We’ve played them recently in the season, and for us it’s good to jump right into it,  honestly. The thing we talked about is not being caught off guard the way we were a little bit against Milwaukee, coming from Brooklyn. The physicality was a little different. Knowing what Miami is all about, how they’re defending and how they’re playing, and not being caught off guard.”

We’ll see if he’s right. If the Celtics can withstand Miami’s early run (or prevent it) they’ll be fine.

3. Walling off Jimmy Butler: Don’t get caught up in him making jump shots … IF he makes them. He wants to get to the rim and the line. Even if he makes a couple of shots, he’ll use that to upfake and drive rather than continue pulling up. 

KEEP HIM OFF THE RIM! KEEP HIM OFF THE LINE! 

Jumper Jimmy might win Miami a game, maybe even two, but I don't think he’ll win them a whole series. 

A LITTLE MORE

I go toe-to-toe with the hosts of the Locked On Heat podcast to preview this series. You can read my full BSJ in-depth preview here, and then watch this preview as your pregame show. 

GAME THREAD

Stick around for more comments below as the game goes on. Feel free to add your two cents in the comments.