Gameday Rundown: HEAT vs. Celtics Game 3

Game 1: If one thing was clear headed into a series against a team that forces you into a metric ton of isolations and often only allows paint attacks by sheer brute force, it was that Jimmy Butler was once again going to have to be magnificent. One game in and 41 points later, we can check that box. It wasn’t just that Butler made his shots, which he did (12-of-19), or that he got to the free-throw line (17-of-18), which he did. It was that he was everywhere, on either end, and always exactly where his team needed him. He wasn’t alone in doing so, but there’s a level of pressure that Butler can apply to your offense that makes every pass carry just a little more inherent risk to it – an effect that played a major role as the HEAT’s defense fed their offense over and over and over again in the third quarter. And as usual – after Boston made a run with Butler off the court – he was there to bring it home down the stretch as he hunted the Payton Pritchard matchup relentlessly, holding the Celtics off with free-throws and jumpers. Boston isn’t going to give up anything easy, so the HEAT are going to need Butler to keep earning, or saving, points the hard way. Both teams are going to come out of this one with plenty to like – Boston wound up winning three of the four quarters – and if you came into this game expecting a long series there wasn’t much on hand to dissuade you of that notion. Full Recap

Game 2: For a few minutes, everything looked fine. Max Strus was getting open, shots were falling, and the HEAT were up 15-8. It wasn’t exactly the third quarter of Game 1, but there was nothing worth being too concerned about. Miami, for the moment, looked like they were operating as usual. Then, everything flipped. Four minutes into the second quarter, the score was 47-28. Just as quick as Game 1 turned after the break when the HEAT rediscovered their own identity playing physical and precise defense and letting that effort power their offense, this time Boston was the team finding itself. Their switching flattened the HEAT out, their lights-out shooting (20-of-40 from three) and paint attacks kept the HEAT playing in the halfcourt, and the visitors were the more physical, more disciplined team. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart all topped 24 points, with only Jimmy Butler topping 20 on the HEAT’s side, but they won with the same feedback loop – offense setting up the defense feeding the offense – that the HEAT used to win the opening stanza. Boston was up by as much as they were up – 34 at the largest lead, but consistently over after their major runs – because they were hitting just about everything. But that wasn’t why they won. The Celtics outplayed the HEAT in this one, winning 127-102. Better process and better results is a deadly combination. The disparity in three-point shooting, with the Celtics outscoring Miami by 30 from the arc, is a story but not the story.Full Recap