The unexpected happened. The Miami Heat won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, playing road games (2-0). In the latest matchup, the Florida franchise won 105-111 against the Boston Celtics, who have been playing far below the basketball level they possess.
That’s the sound of a 2-0 lead. #WINNING pic.twitter.com/7Eow8BnsvB
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 20, 2023
At halftime, the Miami Heat were already leading (50-54). But the Boston Celtics brought out their best in the third quarter and managed to turn it around, scoring 33-21. The joy on Bostonian faces was fleeting. The last twelve minutes of the game were catastrophic for the Celtics, who were significantly outplayed by the Heat, with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo believing in and executing their comeback.
Jimmy Butler was once again the center of the Heat's performance. Although he was not as sharp -statistically speaking- as in other games of these NBA Playoffs, the star forward was the leading architect of the Miami Heat's comeback in the last quarter. He finished the game with 27 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
Sit back & watch what Jimmy did tonight.
Spoiler: it gets good in the 4th pic.twitter.com/PJyym5Us1P
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 20, 2023
Bam Adebayo was the brick wall that Miami Heat needed in the zone. If he can maintain the level he showed last night, the Floridian roster can rest easy for the next few games. The center recorded a colossal double-double (22 points and 17 rebounds, in addition to assisting on 9 occasions) that defined his dominance under the basket. Rounding out the Heat's victory was Caleb Martin, who turned in a fantastic scoring performance (25 points).
Jayson Tatum is enigmatic: a complex puzzle to solve. After playing a superb game in the first three quarters, especially in terms of scoring, he practically disappeared in the last twelve minutes. The same performance that occurred in the first game of the series. In the final quarter, he wasn't able to score any points and his offensive contribution was weak, at best. Despite this, he finished the game with a double-double (34 points and 13 rebounds plus 8 assists).
The other Jay of the Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown, had but a few minutes of clarity (he scored 16 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 3 assists) and Marcus Smart went unnoticed (7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists). After the first two games at the TD Garden in Boston, the Eastern Conference Finals will travel to the Kaseya Center in Miami, where the next two games will be played and could clinch the Heat's berth in the NBA Finals. The next duel will be held this Sunday.
BRACKET UPDATE 🗣
Heat go up 2-0 in the ECF 🍿
For more, visit the Playoff Hub ⤵
📲 https://t.co/MndHjxCujI pic.twitter.com/NTCtVgce5y— NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2023
