Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat threw the first punch with their Game 1 win, but the Boston Celtics delivered a haymaker of their own in Game 2.
The Celtics evened the Eastern Conference Finals series at one game apiece with a dominant 127-102 victory on Thursday night. Boston led by as many as 34 points, and after a slow start to the game was on cruise control for the final 40 minutes.
Celtics-Heat takeaways: Smart does it all for C's in Game 2 return
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SIGN UP HERE Afterward, Butler spoke candidly about his team's lackluster effort.
"I mean, yeah, you do gotta move on. I don't like to move on from this because it has to hurt," Butler said. "They tried to embarrass us, they did embarrass us, so I think we gotta realize that. Use it as fuel, whatever you wanna say, but realize that the game can get out of hand whenever you're playing against a really good team like them that can score the ball and get stops.
"Overall, we just have to be better. We've got a tough job to do to go over there and win. But if they did it, we can do it as well."
Butler certainly isn't to blame for the Heat's blowout loss. The six-time All-Star followed up his 41-point performance in Game 1 with 29 points in 33 minutes. Other Miami starters had a combined 31 points.
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Still, Butler held himself accountable.
“I've got to basically do (Kyle Lowry's) job and make sure guys are in spots where they can be comfortable and be the most successful," he said. "That's on me. I don't think that's on Spo (Erik Spoelstra). I don't think that's on Bam (Adebayo). I think it's my job.”
Much of those shortcomings can be attributed to the return of Celtics guard Marcus Smart. After missing Game 1 with a foot sprain, Smart delivered a phenomenal performance on both ends of the floor. He tallied 24 points and 12 assists while showing why he was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Butler and the Heat will have some adjustments to make for Game 3 Saturday at TD Garden. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET with coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Boston with Celtics Pregame Live.