Don’t let the 20-point final score fool you — this game wasn’t that close.
From the opening tip, Boston checked pretty much every box it wanted to in this rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
• Get off to a fast start: The Celtics started the game on a 14-0 run.
• Hit their 3s: Boston was 22-of-49 (44.9%) from 3.
• Get a big game from a star: Jayson Tatum had a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
JT making it look easyyy pic.twitter.com/C8j42yxnn8
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 21, 2024
• Get a contribution from the bench: Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser had quality games off the bench, combining for 20 points.
• Play elite defense: This is where Miami won the game and made the series seem out of reach to the Heat.
Without Jimmy Butler or Terry Rozier, the Heat tried to run the offense through Tyler Herro — and Jrue Holiday took him out of the game. Herro was 4-of-13 shooting for 11 points, with four assists and a couple of turnovers. He wasn’t a factor.
All that led to a game that was a 30-point Boston lead in the fourth quarter until they took their foot off the gas (and Delon Wright got hot, he finished with 17). Boston won 114-94, taking a 1-0 lead in this first-round series. Game 2 is on Wednesday in Boston.
The Celtics had a balanced attack with Derrick White scoring 20, Kristaps Porzingis scoring 18 and Jaylen Brown adding 17. Pretty much anything Boston wanted to do, it could.
Bam Adebayo led Miami with 24 points and six rebounds, while rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 16. In Game 2 the Heat need to run more of the offense through Adebayo as a hub, with Herro and Jaquez cutting off him, that could open up the offense. They could double less on Tatum and contest more 3s, living with the Celtics stars hitting more two-pointers.
Without Butler, it also might not matter. This is not 2023.
