Jimmy Butler Says Celtics Embarrassed Heat in Game 2 Blowout Loss

The Miami Heat suffered a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on their home floor in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday. After the game, Heat forward Jimmy Butler was blunt in his assessment.

"They tried to embarrass us," Butler told reporters. "They did embarrass us. … Overall, we just have to be better."

The Heat trailed by as many as 34 points in Thursday's 127-102 loss. Butler led Miami with 29 points, but no other player on the team had more than 14 points. As the leader of the team, Butler was unhappy with himself for not getting his teammates more involved. But he expressed optimism that he'll turn things around, saying, "I promise you, I will figure it out."

While Butler shouldering the responsibility is admirable, it's going to take a collective effort from the Heat if they hope to erase the issues from Game 2. Miami allowed Boston to shoot 51.2 percent from the field and connect on 20 of its 40 three-pointers.

The Celtics got huge performances from their stars, as Jayson Tatum had 27 points while Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 24. Smart, who missed Game 1 with a mid-foot sprain, proved to be the spark plug Boston needed as he also finished with 12 assists, nine rebounds, three steals and a block.

Miami faced double-digit deficits early in both games of this series. With Saturday's Game 3 set to be played at the TD Garden in Boston, the Heat will have to avoid any early lapses to bounce back and earn a win on the road.