The Boston Celtics just roared back from their Game 1 loss at the hands of the Miami Heat to put a 25-point beatdown on Miami on their home court. Boston will now have home-court advantage and will look to make the most of it when the teams go to the TD Graden for Games 3 and 4.
However, the start of the game was troublesome for Boston, as they were quickly pummelled into a 10-point deficit by the Heat. This resulted from some flamethrower shooting from the Celtics, who started the game 9-11 from three-point range. This allowed the Celtics to not only make up the points deficit but also take a lead as large as 29 points in the first half.
Ultimately, the half ended with a 25-point lead for the Celtics, which was also the margin they won by. Both teams had identical per quarter scoring in the second half, so Boston's early damage was enough for them to take the win.
The Heat were without a prayer, as their offense completely ground to a halt. Boston's electric shooting allowed them to make the deficit even larger, and the game was realistically over at half-time. The game-plan to restrict the production of players around Jimmy Butler worked like a charm, as Butler was the only player who could provide a spark for the Heat.
The series is tied 1 - 1, so Game 3 will carry extremely high stakes for both teams. The Heat need home-court back, so they will be looking to either win both games in Boston or at least get a split. Two wins for Boston at home could be a season-ending blow for Miami.
If the Heat can zone in and find the 2020 versions of themselves, they may be able to beat Boston. But this loss was an ugly one and everybody will be hoping this series is at least a little bit more competitive.
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