The defending Eastern Conference Champions live to fight another day after beating the Miami Heat under their own roofto extend the series and force a Game 5 back in Boston. Jayson Tatum turned it on in the second half and led the Celtics to the 116-99 victory from Dade County on Tuesday night.
White hot out of the gate
The Heat came into Tuesday with a golden opportunity sweep the Celtics in front of their home fans and make it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since The Bubble in 2020. Boston was looking to avoid their fourth straight loss, which would have been the first time they had lost four straight in two years.
Joe Mazzulla went with his starting five from Game 3, despite the slow start the Celtics got off to in the opening game from Miami. Derrick White got the start and it immediately paid dividends as he hit two first quarter threes and ended the first half with 11 points to carry Boston in the early stages.
Jimmy Butler had a tame first half by his high standards but it was Caleb Martin that started the game off a perfect 6/6 from the field and his 14 points paced the Heat who led by six heading into the break. Miami went to halftime with a six point lead, but Boston would respondwith their backs against the ropes and Jayson Tatum would land the knock out blow to extend the series.
Tatum breaks loose in second half
Tatum had just 8 points in the first half while Jaylen Brown had just 7 as he still looks to be dealing with that injured arm he suffered in Game 1. White’s 11 in the first, Horford’s hot early shooting and Grant Williams’ 14 off the bench helped carry the Celtics into the second half when Tatum would make his mark on Game 4.
Boston came out guns blazing early on thanks to Tatum who put the team on his back and carried them to the finish line while setting the franchise record for made three pointers in the playoffs. He had 14 points in a quarter in which the Celtics went on an 18-0 run that changed the course of the game. Jimmy Butler tried to keep his team in the game, scoring 13 third quarter points but Tatum was too much and Boston defense played like they did inlast year’s Finals run.
They heldthe Heat to just 43 points total in the final 24 minutes. That allowed the Celtics to take an 18 point lead in the fourth quarter and keep a comfortable cushion over the Heat to send the series to a fifth game.
Game 5 on Thursday
Tatum had 25 of his 33 in the second half, and hit his first fourth quarter field goal of the series which ended a serious late game droughtfor one of the league's best players. Marcus Smart course corrected after a rough couple of games scoring 11, while Horford hit a couple of big threes early in the game to set the tone. White ended the game with 16 and Brown had 17 as the Celtics eased to their first win of the series.
We all know what the Celtics are up against. No NBA team has ever come back from 3-0 down in a series, but they took a their first small step towards making history with the win in Miami. They now head back to Boston where TD Garden will be rocking for another elimination situation in Game 5 on Thursday night.
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Tatum capped the game with this one footed floater and finished the game with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists in the Game 4 win.
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Tatum had 25 in the second half, and maybe more importantly than anything he had his first field goal in the fourth quarter in the entire series.
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It couldn't be all Brown and Tatum in Game 4, and the role players stepped up. Grant Williams had 14 off the bench including four three pointers as the Celtics hit 18 three and shot 40% from downtown.
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We talked about White providing a certain edge to this Celtics team on Tuesday night. He triggered the fast break that ended with the Jaylen Brown jam. White had 16 on the night andBrownended with 17 as the Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter.
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Tatum turned it on when the Celtics needed him most, much like he did in Game 7 against the Sixers last round.
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Smart has had a rough few games in this series but seeing this three go down must have felt good for last year's Defensive Player of the Year. This was part of an 18-0 run that put the Celtics ahead and kept them ahead for the rest of the night.
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Tatum not only set a Celtics franchise record for threes in the third quarter, he had 14 points to help Boston recapture the lead.
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Derrick White didn't disappoint in his second straight start of the series, scoring 11 points in the first half. Even more than the scoring, he added rebound and a bit of bite to this Boston side in Game 4.
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It was Derrick White and Grant Williams who stepped up for the Celtics in the first half as Boston awaited their stars to get hot in the second half.
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Brown scored the first bucket of the night things wouldn't be that easy for him or Jayson Tatum in the first half of Game 4.
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116-99
IT'S ALL OVER FROM MIAMI!!!
The Celtics send it back to Boston with a dominant second half in which Jayson Tatum carried his side to victory!
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116-99
Pritchard with the finishing tough on a drive and lay up.
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114-99
Robinson with a lay up with the left hand high off the glass.
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114-97
Pritchard at the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Robinson.
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112-97
Martin hits both FTs after the foul on Hauser.
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112-95
Lowry sends Brown to the line but he missed both with 1:06 left.
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112-95
Tatum with the baseline jumper and he gets the shooters touch off the rim.
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109-95
Butler drives down Main Street and throws it down with a two handed slam.
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109-93
Strus drives to the rack and lay it up and in off the glass.
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109-91
Tatum to the rack and he gets the finger roll to drop,
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107-91
Butler to the line where he hits both FTs after the foul on R. Williams.
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107-89
Tatum with a one footed fader in the lane out of the timeout.
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105-89
Timeout Celtics with 3:40 to go in the fourth quarter!
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105-89
Williams grabbed the loose ball after Adebayo lost it and Williams gets the bucket and the foul in transition!
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102-89
Vincent is ok after twisting his ankle and he gets the floater to fall in the lane.
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102-87
Butler at the line and he hits one of two FTs after the foul on Williams.
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102-86
Smart dumps it off to Williams for the jam in transition after Lowry threw it away under the Celtics bucket.
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100-86
Butler kicks it out to Lowry in the corner and he drills the three ball with 5:30 to go!
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100-83
Smart just stuck a three from the wing and that might be the early dagger! 12-4 run for the Celtics to pull away with under 7 to go.
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97-83
Vincent just twisted his ankle trying to save a ball on the sideline and that could be trouble!
Tatum takes advantage of the injured Heat player by sticking a three ball and the Celtics lead by 14!
Timeout Heat with 7:52 to go in the fourth!
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94-83
Double team came for Tatum and he slipped it down to Smart on the baseline for the lay up.
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92-83
White with a block on one end and that turns into a slam for Brown on the break!
Timeout Heat with 9:04 to go in the fourth!
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90-83
Tatum comes out of the timeout and hits the jumper fronm the FT line against the zone.
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88-83
Robinson pulled up and passed it at the last minute finding Lowry down low for the lay up!
Timeout Celtics with 9:41 to go in the 4th quarter.
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88-81
Adebayo goes to the line after the Horford foul, but he misses both FTs.
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88-81
Vincent was fouled by White, and hits goes to the line where he hits two FTs.
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88-79
We are headed to the fourth quarter with the Celtics up 9 points! Tatum came to life scoring 14 in the quarter while Butler had 13.
It was an 18-0 run that turned the tides in the third quarter and allowed the Celtics take the lead.
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88-79
Martin running the break and he found Butler for the transition lay up right before the end of the quarter.
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88-77
G. Williams was left open at the top of the key and he punishes the Heat! That's four threes tonight for Williams!
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85-77
Tatum back to the rack and he gets the lay up to fall in traffic!
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83-77
Tatum with the shoulder into Martin and that opened up some space for the spot up mid range jumper.
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81-77
Tough jump hook from Butler who hit it from outside the lane over R. Williams.
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81-75
R. Williams sends Butler to the line where he hits both FTs.
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81-73
Butler to the line after the foul on Brown and he hits both FTs.
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81-71
G. Williams strokes the three ball from the wing and he's got three triples on the night! Finally the Celtics are seeing their threes fall in this series.
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78-71
Butler takes the contact on the drive and gets the reverse lay up to go off the glass!
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78-69
Tatum slices through the lane and gets the finger roll to fall.
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76-69
Smart with a tough corner three even with a hand right in his face!
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73-69
Butler with the dump off to Zeller who gets the bucket and the foul! FT is good to complete the three point play.
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73-66
Horford with the up and under and he's having the best game of his series.
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71-66
A couple offensive rebounds leads to a Jimmy Butler three ball and he's got 5 straight Miami points!
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71-63
Horford to the line and he hits one of two FTs after the fourth foul on Adebayo. Fouls are starting to rack up for Miami.
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70-63
Butler breaks the run with a much needed lay up mid way through the third quarter.
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70-61
White to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Vincent who picks up his fourth.
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68-61
Smart drills a three ball after the Tatum swing pass! He has been ice cold in this series, but that was a big shot and the Heat will take another timeout with 6:50 to go in the third quarter!
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65-61
Tatum hits a tough runner in the lane in traffic and it's a 13-0 run for Boston!
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63-61
Strus was stripped and Brown went streaking to the rack for the lay up on the break!
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61-61
White with a three ball out of the timeout and that's a 9-0 run to tie up the game!
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58-61
Timeout Celitcs with 8:27 to go in the first quarter.
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58-61
Tatum with back to back three balls and is he about to have another memorable second half performance?
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55-61
Tatum nails a three ball after the Horford dish and he's in double digits!
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52-61
Strus strokes a three ball and the lead is up to 9 early in the third. This is a dangerous part of the game for Boston right now.
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52-58
Vincent gets to the iron on the drive and finishes with the lay in.
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52-56
Brown starts the third quarter with a deep two. He needs to warm up in the last 24 minutes potentially of the season.
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50-56
THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION HAS STARTED FROM KASEYA CENTER!
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Miami isn't a team that loves to get out and run on the break but they didn't seem to have that much trouble doing so in the first two quarters of Game 4.
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Check out the behind the back pass from Vincent to set up the Bam slam and give the Heat the lead back.
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Last game it was Vincent leading the Heat to the win. Tonight it could be Caleb Martin who carries Miami past Boston. He's got 14 already.
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White is keeping his team in the lead with 11 points in his second straight start in this series.
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Adebayo scored 10 in the second quarter but none came easier than this alley oop.
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Caleb Martin is 6/6 from the field and has 14 points going into the first half.
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Jayson Tatum has looked frustrated over the last six quarter in which he has just 24 points total. Strus took advantage of the turnover with a slam on the break.
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Love was questionable coming into the game, but hit two quick threes to settle those doubts about his knee.
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Jimmy Butler ended the first half with 9 points as he stepped out of the spotlight to let Caleb Martin shine in the opening 24 minutes.
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It looked like Jaylen Brown was going to get off to a hot start after hitting the first bucket of the game, but it appears his arm is still bothering him after hurting it in Game 1.
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50-56
We are headed to halftime with the Heat up by 6! They are 24 minutes away from the NBA Finals, can they hold off the Celtics?
Miami came into the quarter with the lead, but gave upa 17-5 run which resulted in them losing that lead for a moment but Bam Adebayo's 10 in the quarter and Martin's 14 off the bench have them in the lead at half.
Vincent has 11 and Adebayo has 10 while Butler has 9 heading into the third quarter.
White leads the Celtics in scoring with 11, Horford has 9, Tatum has 8 and Brown has 7.
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50-56
Butler with a long rebound and he looked up to Martin for the lay in.
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50-54
Tatum to the line after the foul on Adebayo and Tatum hits one of two FTs with 1:24 to go in the first half.
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49-54
Adebayo pulls up from the mid range and hits it from the wing.
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48-52
Brown kicks it out to G. Williams who stings a three ball, his second of the night!
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46-52
Adebayo at the line after the foul on White and he hits both FTs.
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46-50
Brown with the entry pass to Williams down low who had a mismatch on the defender and got the jam!
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44-50
Vincent was fouled by Brown on the three point attempt and he goes to the line where he hits all three FTs with 3:00 to go in the half.
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44-47
Lowry with the interception and that leads to an open jam for Martin on the break!
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44-45
Adebayo with the slam after a sweet behind the back pass from Vincent!
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44-43
Smart lays it off for Brown who gets the transition finger roll to go.
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42-43
Brown goes to the line after the timeout but he misses BOTH FTs!
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42-43
Martin steps into a three after the dish from Strus and he's a perfect 4/4 from the field!
Timeout Heat with 5:15 to go in the first half!
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42-40
White give the lead back to the Celtics with a corner three and he's got three triples tonight!
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39-40
Vincent put the boogy on the Celtics defenders and finished with the finger roll .
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39-38
Martin gets back to the rack and lays it up and in.
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39-36
Brogdon follows up the miss from G. Williams and he gets the put back to go after a couple pump fakes down low.
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37-36
Adebayo out of the timeout and to the cup for a finger roll.
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37-34
White with a steal and he finds G. Williams who walks into a three pointer and the Celtics take the lead after a 17-5 run dating back to late in the first!
Timeout Heat with 7:46 to go in the half!
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34-34
Tatum gets into the paint and slides around Bam for the finger roll.
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32-34
White with the tip in over Butler and the foul after the missed three by Horford! FT is good for the three point play.
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29-34
VIncent at the line after the foul on White and he hits one of two FTs.
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29-33
Horford pulls a quick trigger three ball and he's got three triples already!
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26-33
Adebayo thows down a wicked alley oop after the lob from the baseline by Lowry.
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26-31
Horford jacks another three ball, and he's got two of those already!
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23-31
Martin with a strong drive to the rack and the lay up to start the quarter.
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23-29
We are at the end of the first quarter, and it's the Miami Heat who are up after 12 minutes in an elimination game here from Kayesa Arena.
White, Tatum and Brown all have 5 points.
Butler got off to a quick start, scoring 9 early points. Love has 6 after hitting two threes in a game he came into as questionable. Miami took control of the lead with a 15-3 run in the middle of the first.
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23-29
G. Williams at the line after the foul on Lowry and he hits both FTs.
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21-29
Williams at the line after the Lowry foul and he hits one of two at the line.
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20-29
Martin pulls the trigger from downtown and the Heats are off to a hot start from long distance.
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20-26
Brown hit R. Williams in stride for the open jam down the lane!
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18-26
Butler was fouled by Brogdon and he hits both FTs at the line.
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18-24
Zeller at the line after the foul on G. Williams and he hits both FTs.
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18-22
Tatum with a pump fake, side step and three ball out of the timeout to break up the Heat run.
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15-22
Butler picked off the Tatum pass and Lowry found Strus on the outlet for the easy jam in transition!
14-3 run for the home side and theCeltics take a timeoutwith 4:06 to go in the first quarter!
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15-20
Zeller lost it on the drive, but itfell to Butler how quickly put it up for the short floater in the lane.
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15-18
Vincent drills the triple try and he's on the board after a career high night in Game 3!
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15-15
Brown answers back with a three ball of his own off the kick out from Smart! He needed to see a three go in early after struggling in this series.
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12-15
Love drills the three ball from the corner and that's his second triple of the first quarter!
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12-12
We are headed to our first timeout with 6:17 and it's all square after the first few minutes of this elimination matchup from Miami.
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12-12
Butler on the turn around and he hits the jumper with a step back fade away.
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12-10
Vincent streaks to the iron and he finishes with the finger roll.
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12-8
Tatum crashing the boards after the White miss and he gets the put back to go under the basket.
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10-8
Butler puts Tatum on his back and jets to the cup for the left handed lay in off the glass.
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10-6
Struss pulls up from outside the lane to get his night started.
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10-4
Brown shakes off the defender with an up and under from the block and gets it to go off the glass.
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8-4
Butler at the line after the foul on Horford, and he hits one of two FTs.
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8-3
White sticks a three ball from the corner and he's got two quick buckets to start the game!
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5-3
White gets to the cup and lays it up and in and that's what the Celtics are looking for to start this game.
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3-3
Kevin Love answers back with a three ball and he looks like the leg injury that forced him to sit out a good portion of Game 3 is doing okay.
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3-0
Horford gets the night started with a corner three off the dish from Tatum!
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0-0
GAME 4 IS UNDERWAY FROM MIAMI!!!
WILL IT BE BOSTON EXTENDING THE SERIES OR WILL MIAMI COMPLETE THE SWEEP?
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What does Playoff Jimmy have in store tonight in a close out game at home? Last game proved he doesn't have to be great, but you know he is itching to sweep the Celtics after all the smack that has been talked between he and the Boston players throughout the series.
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For the second straight game, the Boston Celtics are going with Derrick White in the starting five looking for some offense to get off to a good start tonight in Game 4. It didn't work well in Game 3, but Joe Mazzulla is running out of options.
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Celtics need a miracle
In the entire history of the NBA, there has never been a team that has comeback from an 0-3 deficit. Coming back from a 1-3 deficit has only been done 13 in NBA history. A comeback of such magnitude has only happened five times in the history of American sports and never in the NBA. It’s the most probably in hockey, where four teams have made the history comeback but it’s only happened twice since 1975. The Boston Red Sox did it back int 2004 when they knocked off the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. The city of Boston will be praying for another miracle this year, but for tonight they will be hoping the Celtics can just extend the series for another game back at TD Garden.
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Trash talk king
Jimmy Butler should be put up there with Magic, Jordan and LeBron as one of the best playoff performers of all time. He should also be put up there with Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett and Reggie Miller as one of the greatest trash talkers in the game. He doesn’t just talk a big game, he backs it up with his play. He is averaging 30 points 6 rebonds and 5 assists and hits big shot after big shot. In this series he has had more than his fair share of words with Grant Williams and Al Horford, and I couldn’t love hi more for it. Last game he his a three and did the Al Horford timeout celebration just to add a bit of insult to injury.
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Celtics hung it up last game
Losing in the playoff never sits well, but what sits even worse in the stomach of the Celtics was the way they ended Game 3. They looked like they just called it quits at the end of the game and that rubbed Jaylen Brown the wrong way. A dejected Brown went told reporters he was embarrassed by the way the Celtics played, and apologized to the fans. The only way they can actually make amends would be to win tonight, avoid the sweep and send the series back to Boston at 3-1.
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Butler back in the building
Jimmy Butler is having a historic playoff run. Let’s not get anything twisted, he is a fantastic regular season player, but when the playoffs come knocking Jimmy turns it up to a whole new level. Last game he didn’t have to be spectacular, scoring just 16 points, but that shows you how deep this Heat roster is. It’s incredible when you think that Eric Spoelstra’s side is with seven undrafted players. The two top scorers from Game 3, Robinson and Vincent both ended the NBA Draft with out a team, but here they are playing huge rolls in Miami’s bid for a Finals appearance.
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Tatum back up against the wall
Jayson Tatum is coming off of a game in which he scored just 14 points, going 6/18 from the field. Tatum has been the man for the Celtics this year, and has been their go to scorer in the playoffs, but even with two monster performances of 30 and 7 and 34,13 and 8 the Celtics came up short in Games 2 and 3. It’s do or die time for Tatum and Boston, and the last time the Celtics were up against elimination was in Game 7 against Philly when he posted 51 and 13 so you can’t count him or the reigning Easter Conference champs but they have a huge uphill mountain to climb.
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Game 3 recap
The Heat came back to South Beach with the wind in their sails after storming into New England and stealing two wins. It was ugly from the start and only got worse as the game went on for Boston, who’s leading scorer was Jayson Tatum with just 14 points. Gabe Vincent on the other hand had a career high 28 points leading this Heat team that at one point late in the second Play-In were on the verge on not making the playoffs.Miami went up by 15 going into halftime thanks to some terrific play from their big man Bam Adebayo who ended the night with 13 points and got 22 from Duncan Robinson off the bench. The lead stretched to 30 in the third quarter and Miami cruised to the finish line to take a 3-0 series lead.
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We are live from Miami
Hello everyone and welcome to Date County where the eight seed in the East have been on a roll since the Play-In Game. They already because the first seed to win a Conference Final game, and can make even more history tonight with a win that would send them to the NBA Finals. Not only that, but they could knock out the two seed Boston Celtics in four straight games. Desperation set in a few days ago for the Celtics who lost the opening two games of the series at home, and now it’s time for last year’s Easter Conference Champions to show they still have what it takes to defend their title at least for another game.
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Celtics vs. Heat live
The Miami Heat are one win away from the NBA Finals and can punch their ticket tonight against the Boston Celtics. Jimmy Butler has had one of the most memorable playoff runs in the history of the game, and he can take down the most illustrious, successful franchise in the history of the Eastern Conference in just 48 minutes time. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s elimination matchup from the Kaseya Center.
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