The Boston Celtics will now have to win four of the next five games if it has any hopes of returning to the NBA Finals. A huge third quarter by the Miami Heat Thursday night would lead to a 106-101 win over the Boston in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Miami is 10-1 in the playoffs and now have a 2-0 series lead in the best of seven.
Both teams held a first quarter lead of four points. Marcus Smart hit a step back three-pointer late in the opening 12 minutes for the four point lead for Boston, as they led 31-28 at the end of one. Miami guard Duncan Robinson hit 4-6 from behind the arc to lead all scorers. The Celtics never let the Heat lead again in the first half, and would open it up in the second quarter. With the score 33-30, the green would go on a 25-11 run over the next 7:40 to extend the lead to 48-31. They held that 17 point lead twice, and on 58% shooting they held a 60-47 advantage at the break.
Much like they did in the fourth quarter of game one, Miami totally turned the tide in the third quarter elevating their defensive intensity and finding their game again offensively. The Heat would outscore the Celtics 37-17 and took a 84-77 lead to the fourth quarter. The zone defense implored by Miami seemed to frustrate Boston at times, as they had seven turnovers and Bam Adebayo had a huge 12 minutes dominating underneath and on the glass to give the Heat their first lead since the opening quarter. After Miami built their biggest lead of the night of eight early in the fourth, the Celts would slowly begin to chip away finally tying it 89-89 on a Jaylen Brown offensive rebound and put back layup with 5:36 to play. After a Heat miss, Jayson Tatum would slam one home in the lane to restore a Boston lead. Kemba Walker knocked in a three-pointer for a five point lead, but Jimmy Butler help spur a quick 6-1 run to tie it up 95-95 just 1:22 later. Goran Dragic gave Miami the lead for good with two free throws with 2:21 left to play, and after a Walker three-point attempt missed Dragic would hit one from behind the arc to make it 100-95. A Butler steal that led to a Jae Crowder layup made it a seven point lead, before Brown and Marcus Smart would hit three-pointers on back to back possessions to pull Boston within 104-101 with just under a minute to go. The Heat would miss on their next possession but Adebayo secured an offensive rebound, before a bad pass resulted in a turnover that gave the Celtics another chance. Brown would then miss a game tying three in the far corner in front of the Miami bench with 15 seconds showing on the clock, and Butler calmly sank two from the line in the final 10 seconds to ice the win.
Walker led Boston in the loss with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Brown and Tatum had 21 points a piece, while Smart finished with 14. Dragic led five Miami players in double figures with 25 points and five assists. Adebayo had a double double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Also in double figures was Robinson with 18, Butler 14, and Crowder with 12 points. The Celtics committed 20 turnovers to only nine for the Heat. Boston will try to fight out of an 0-2 hole when game three tips off Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.
