Miami Heat's unstoppable force, Jimmy Butler, continued to perplex opponents, this time leaving the Boston Celtics in the dust. In what was initially a heated face-off at TD Garden on Wednesday night, the Heat bounced back powerfully in the second half, taking the opening match of the Eastern Conference finals. Butler was in his element, contributing 35 points and spearheading the Heat's stunning 46-point tally in the third quarter, culminating in a 123-116 triumph in Boston.
The first quarter witnessed intense competition, following which the Celtics surged to the front in the second, thanks to a commanding 20-5 mid-period run. This spurt put Boston ahead by 13 points momentarily, before settling for a 9-point advantage at the halftime break. Despite a promising field shooting percentage of almost 54% for the Heat, led by Butler's 15 points, they suffered from 9 costly turnovers that led to 19 Celtics points.
Celtics' Jayson Tatum was particularly effective in the first half, scoring 18 of his total 30 points. Boston dominated the paint with a 40-16 point advantage, with notable contributions from center Robert Williams who notched 12 points, showing 100% accuracy in his lane shots in the first half.
The beginning of the second half saw a radical turnaround by the Heat, who quickly leveled the scores following a swift 21-12 run. Their improved 9-of-13 field shooting left the Celtics' coach Joe Mazzulla infuriated.
Yet the Heat had no intentions of slowing down. Their third quarter was historic with a tally of 46 points, outclassing Boston by 21 points, thereby securing a game-high 12-point lead. Exceptional team coordination led to a 6-of-9 three-point shooting, with just a single turnover, setting a new high for a playoff quarter in the Heat's history.
Despite the Celtics cutting down the deficit to 5 points early in the final quarter, and maintaining it for most of the period, it was Caleb Martin's crucial three-pointer followed by Butler's extraordinary basket over Malcolm Brogdon that confirmed the Heat's 7-point victory.
In the Celtics' camp, Tatum led with 30 points and 7 rebounds, but was held to just 4 shots in the second half and none in the final quarter. Jaylen Brown contributed 22 points and 9 rebounds, while Brogdon added 19 points. Fresh from their narrow escape in the semifinals against Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics could only manage 10-of-29 three-point shooting on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Butler's contribution went beyond scoring, as he added 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and a playoff-career-best 6 steals. This win propels the Heat into the conference finals, following their 4-2 victory over the New York Knicks. Bam Adebayo pitched in with 20 points and 8 rebounds, as the Heat achieved slightly over 54% field shooting, along with a commendable 16-of-31 from the three-point line.
The Heat's sixth consecutive opening game victory puts them in a strong position in a series many didn't predict they would be competitive in, particularly given their play-in tournament commencement.
