Celtics on the brink of elimination after no-show in Game 3 vs. Heat
BOSTON -- After losing two home games to start the Eastern Conference Finals, things went from bad to worse for the Boston Celtics Sunday night in Miami. The Celtics are on the brink of elimination after a 128-102 loss to the Heat in Game 3.
No team in NBA history has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit. The Heat can send the Celtics into the offseason with a Game 4 win Thursday night in Miami.
After blowing a fourth-quarter lead in Game 2 in Boston on Friday night, the Celtics no-showed in Game 3. They certainly didn't look like a desperate team at any point in the game, falling behind by more than 30 points in the second half. The Celtics turned the ball over 15 times and shot just 26 percent from 3-point range in the loss.
Boston did not get All-NBA performances from Jayson Tatum (14 points) or Jaylen Brown (12 points), neither of whom showed any urgency on the defensive end throughout the loss. The duo was a combined 12-for-35 from the floor and a woeful 1-for-14 from 3-point range.
Jimmy Butler did his thing for Miami with 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists over 31 minutes, but it was the Heat's supporting cast that really burned the Celtics on Sunday night. Gabe Vincent was white hot with a career-high 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting (including 6-for-9 from deep), while Caleb Martin added 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting off the Heat bench.
Miami's bench scored 31 points through the first three quarters, to just 14 points for Boston reserves. Malcolm Brogdon scored no points off 0-for-6 shooting on the night.
It wasn't a pretty start for the Celtics, as they committed six turnovers in the first quarter. The Heat turned those miscues into nine points, but somehow Boston only trailed by eight heading into the second.
While they took much better care of the ball in the second frame, the Celtics still hoisted careless shots and let the Heat build a 21-point lead with a 10-2 run. Marcus Smart was called for an offensive foul when he hip-checked Kyle Lowry into the scorer's table, and a few moments later he was hit with a technical for jawing with referee Tony Brothers.
Boston closed the first half on a 9-2 run, but could have had more points ahead of the break. Brown heaved a corner three with nine seconds left on the clock -- and with the shot clock on Boston's side -- and the C's were fortunate that Miami didn't turn that extra possession into points. The Celtics trailed 61-46 at the break, with Tatum and Brown a combined 9-for-24 from the floor and 1-for-7 from 3-point range for 19 points.
The Celtics were just as disjointed and sloppy in the third quarter. Al Horford airballed a three early in the frame, and Smart even airballed an elbow that he threw at Martin underneath the Boston basket. (He was assessed a common foul on that play -- even after a review -- but likely would have gotten the boot had he actually connected.)
The Heat turned a Horford offensive foul into an alley-oop from Max Strus to Bam Adebayo, and after Smart missed a layup on Boston's end, Vincent hit another three for Miami. That made it a 10-2 run for the Heat and extended their lead to 74-51.
After that Vincent three, Butler took a knee and motioned for a timeout right in front of Horford -- which the C's forward did toward during Game 1. Horford was not happy with the display, but the Celtics did nothing to answer Butler's taunt.
Vincent hit another three -- a step-back over Smart -- a few plays later, and Martin splashed home another with 6:51 to extend Miami's lead to 25. Martin then stole the ball from Tatum, which ended with a Strus layup to give Miami an 83-56 lead.
The Heat led by as much as 33 points in the third, and Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench to start the fourth with Boston down by 30 points.
Miami shot a ridiculous 56.8 percent from the floor and 54.3 percent (19-for-35) from 3-point range.
The Celtics now have two days to shake off their Game 3 shellshock before trying to stave off elimination Tuesday night in Miami.