Here's a pretty crazy stat about the Miami Heat in the postseason
BOSTON -- Joe Mazzulla raised a lot of eyebrows when he sat at the podium after the Celtics' Game 1 loss to Miami and stated multiple times that Boston had won three of the four quarters.
Turns out, that line of thinking is generally in line with success. Unless, that is, a team is facing the Miami Heat.
ESPN Stats & Info shared a tidbit on Thursday that is a bit wild. Since the 2020 postseason, the Heat now have seven wins in games where they lost three of the four quarters in the game.
What's stranger: The rest of the NBA has just seven such wins in that same span.
That run coincides with Jimmy Butler's arrival in Miami, and his presence and leadership have no doubt driven some of those unlikely wins. He most certainly was on Wednesday.
The Celtics have been on the flip side of that stat three times now: in Game 1 on Wednesday, in Game 2 in the 2020 conference finals, and in Game 1 of last year's conference finals. Additionally, the Heat beat the Celtics in Game 3 last year after winning just one quarter. (The third quarter was tied, 25-25.)
If it means anything, it's that the Heat are never out of any game, and opponents can't afford to lose focus, even if only for one quarter. If there's any team that's built to capitalize on such a scenario, it's the Heat.
