Marcus Smart puts Celtics on high alert after defensive letdown in Game 1

In the third quarter, Boston was outscored by an abysmal 46-to-25 margin. The Heat connected on 65.4 percent of their shots from the field during the 12-minute frame, including shooting six of nine from beyond the arc. 

Miami went on to stake claim to a seven-point victory and take a 1-0 lead over the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

“The only thing we need to adjust to is picking up our physicality and playing some damn defense,” Marcus Smart told reporters following the team's loss. “That’s the only thing that switched. They didn’t change anything from the first half that they weren’t doing. They just upped their physicality. Nothing technical, X’s and O’s. It’s just coming out and guarding your yard.”

The Heat's 123-116 victory marked the team's third-highest offensive output of the postseason. Miami finished the 2022-23 regular season ranked dead last in points per game with an average of just 109.48.

Of course, the uptick in team scoring does coincide with Butler's budding playoff dominance. 

Following Wednesday's 35-point outing — Butler's fifth 30-point showing over his last 11 games — the six-time All-Star is leading all remaining players in scoring this postseason with an average of 31.5 points per game. 

While the Celtics did hold the Philadelphia 76ers below 89 points in each of their final two games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics haven't been overly impressive on the defensive end of the court for the majority of the postseason. Boston has allowed 115-plus points in all but six of their playoff games this season and has now dropped three games in a row when they allow their opponent to reach that benchmark in scoring.