Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat take a two-game lead over the Celtics as the series shifts to Miami

Staggeringly, Friday, the team with a one-game lead in the series played with more desperation in the second match. That’s the same outfit that, before the first meeting, was rejected by the sportsbooks as not having a chance against the reigning eastern champs. The Heat is presently up 2-0 with the following games set in Miami.

In quarter one, the Green restrained the White and Red’s paint finishing to four of 13 attempts. Regardless, Jimmy Butler still recorded a putback off Bam Adebayo’s miss, a jumper in the post when the Celtics blew up Miami’s pick and roll, and layup in drop coverage.

After getting gashed by the Celtics on a 17-4 run, the Heat returned the favor with a 16-8 burst to close the half. Caleb Martin was the leading scorer with 14 points, followed by Jimmy Butler’s dozen.

The Heat held a four-point lead at intermission, but the Celtics charged out of its locker room, snatching command. Jayson Tatum detonated for an extra 15 on his scorecard while the Celtics doubled Miami’s production on the glass and held the visitors to 16% shooting from deep.

The dreaded turd quarter had returned, as the Heatles were outscored by 12 in frame three. Butler played every minute, gathering six points with three boards, two assists, a block and a steal. Martin logged seven, and Adebayo dropped 6 points, but the Celtics were at the firing range.

The Celtics entered the lane on impulse and finished seven of nine interior tries in the third quarter. Jaylen Brown supplied three baskets for the Green, hitting shots in the corner, in transition and euro-stepping past Kyle Lowry for a layup.

With over 10 minutes left, the hosts lead by 12, intoxicating its supporters with premature joy. But then, Miami went on a 34-16 point avalanche to seize the game. In crunch time, Butler and Grant Williams had to be separated while standing dome-to-dome. JB took the General (G. Williams) off the dribble from the left wing to the paint and hit a turnaround jumper before both got in each other’s grills.

Butler logged his next three field goals guarded by G. Williams, including the baskets to tie and take the lead for the Heat. From the right side, #22 dribbled past Party City Batman (G. Williams) and nailed a floater over his head. Then he motioned towards his hip, signaling his man was too small. At the elbow, Butler canned a jumper and fadeaway on the baseline before Celtics coach Joe Mazzula sat his backup forward.

With a minute to go and the Heat up three, Adebayo tracked Butler’s missed jumper in between multiple Celtics and went back up for a thunderous slam. Tatum came back the other way, hoisting up a shot from the top when Miami flashed its 2-3 zone. Gabe Vincent foolishly didn’t give him landing space. Next, Tatum converted three freebies.

Making amends for his infraction, Vincent dusted Tatum on the left side, burying a jump shot from 20 feet out.

In the last period, Miami held Boston to 38.9% shooting from the field. The Heat pulled down four offensive rebounds and committed two fewer turnovers, allowing it to take four additional attempts over the Celtics in the final quarter in a game that was decided by six points.

Mazzulla forgot to use his final timeout for Boston so it could advance the ball upcourt in the last five seconds. The Heat won 111-105.

On Boston’s bench, players wore warm-up shirts that said “Unfinished Business” on the front, referencing the squad getting two games shy of a title the previous season. The Green’s mission is likely staying that way after conceding home-court advantage.

The flight to Miami is a perfect opportunity for the Celtics to educate G. Williams about not upsetting the Beast of the East. Butler engaged because he caught some trash talk while Miami was coming up court with the ball.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra praised his group’s perseverance.

“Defensively, in the second quarter, we were really good to get back into the game,” Spoelstra said. “Same thing in the second half. And then Jimmy [Butler] and Bam [Adebayo] really anchored us offensively. It’s great when your two best players can lead you, and you have a place where the ball can go, and everyone else is playing off those guys…”

Butler said the fourth quarter is about getting buckets.

“It’s all about getting shots on goal,” Butler said. “I can only tell y’all so many times how much confidence that my teammates put in me, the coaching staff puts in me to just go out there and hoop, play carefree, and as we like to say in our locker room ‘take us there.’”

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