‘Everybody Came to Play’ as Miami Heat Take Down Boston Celtics

It is very noticeable when a team is in complete rhythm with their offense, making a lot of shots from anywhere on the field especially on the perimeter.

This was definitely the case for the Miami Heat, who used a historic shooting night to stun the first-seeded Boston Celtics 111-101 in Game 2 of the first round of the NBAPlayoffs.

Broke a franchise playoff record in threes made

Miami came out of the gates firing from deep to start the game.

Even though the Heat only led by one after the first quarter, they showed early signs that they were due for a historic night. They made eight of their 15 three-point attempts, with five players converting the triples.

Even though they took fewer attempts the following quarter, they were still accurate on 55.6 percent of their tries on the perimeter. Once halftime came around, they made 13 shots from downtown despite trailing 61-58 against the Celtics due to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining for 39 points.

The Heat were not fazed by this, going on to suffocate the Celtics defensively while outscoring them 27-18 in the third quarter. They converted six three-points on nine attempts, getting plenty of help from Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, and Nikola Jovic.

Boston attempted a late rally down 12, getting within five points thanks to a late spurt from Derrick White. However, Bam Adebayo commanded the fourth quarter with eight points and four rebounds, beating Al Horford in each of their matchups, while Miami added four more triples to their tally to come out with the win.

By the game’s end, the Heat made 23 three-pointers, setting a new franchise playoff record in that statistic. They did this on a remarkable 53.5 percent shooting from downtown, getting multiple makes from Herro, Martin, Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, and Duncan Robinson.

Herro led the team with a double-double of 24 points and 14 assists to go along with five rebounds and a steal. Adebayo also had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Martin added another 21 points, while Jaquez Jr. put up 14. Jovic even had a strong all-around performance, getting 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a block in 25 minutes of what was an active night for the young forward.

Herro’s performance Tuesday night was a resounding one for the guard. After struggling in Game 1 with just 11 points on 30.8 percent shooting overall, to play the way he did in Game 2 is huge for the Heat. His solid display drew praise from his head coach Erik Spoelstra.

What’s Next For Both Teams

Series Tied 1-1; Boston Needing to Bounce Back in Game 3

An excellent win it was for Miami to steal one from Boston on their homecourt to tie the series at one game apiece. They will now look to take a series lead when they host the next two games.

A tough loss it was for Boston, who couldn’t figure out how to cool off Miami’s hot shooting from downtown throughout the night. However, that game has shown they must not underestimate the Heat’s will to compete even when missing key players in Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier.

A pivotal Game 3 awaits both teams when the Heat host the Celtics on April 27 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

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