Kevin Millar became famous for his renowned “don’t let us win tonight” comment before Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. Somehow, Marcus Smart found a message even shorter, and he shared it seconds after walking off the court in Florida late Friday night. The Boston Celtics, thanks to a stellar second half, […]
Marcus Smart Had Simple Message As He Walked Into Locker Room After Game 5 — NESN.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — If Brad Stevens had his druthers, he’d never be recorded on mic during a playoff game. When a reporter asked the Boston coach about a third-quarter moment, when he grabbed a clipboard during the Celtics’ avalanche of 41 points in that period — “that’s what hard playing does right there!”…
Boston Celtics stave off elimination, beat Miami Heat in Game 5 of Eastern Conference Finals — Daily News
In last night’s game 4 win over the Boston Celtics, rookie sensation Tyler Herro broke… The post Tyler Herro Breaks Heat Rookie Playoff Scoring Record appeared first on LEAGUE ALERTS.
Tyler Herro Breaks Heat Rookie Playoff Scoring Record — LEAGUE ALERTS
The Miami Heat experienced an injury scare in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. But as it turns out, the severity of the situation appears to be very minor. Bam Adebayo appeared to hurt his wrist late in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. After tangling up […]
Bam Adebayo Injury: Here’s Latest Update On Heat Forward’s Wrist — NESN.com
The Miami Heat experienced an injury scare in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
But as it turns out, the severity of the situation appears to be very minor.
Bam Adebayo appeared to hurt his wrist late in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. After tangling up with Daniel Theis under the basket on a Jimmy Butler free-throw attempt, Adebayo began to favor his wrist and was noticeably letting his arm dangle throughout the remainder of the game. The first-year All-Star, however, stayed in and finished the contest.
After the game, Adebayo provided the backstory on the injury and confidently declared his status for Game 5.
Ok. The Bam story. He got dinged up in Game 3, got it aggravated tonight, he will get treatment, sources tell AP that he is fine and is playing Friday.— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) September 24, 2020
That’s obviously great news for the Heat, who can finish off the Celtics and advance to the NBA Finals on Friday. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Sign In Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro showcased a great individual effort to propel his team to a 112-109 Game 4 victory Wednesday night. But that wasn’t the sole reason the Celtics now face a 3-1 deficit in the Eastern Conference finals. That would be letting Boston off the hook far too easy. Boston didn’t…
Celtics Notes: Boston Gives Honest Assessment Of Game 4 Loss Vs. Heat — NESN.com
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro showcased a great individual effort to propel his team to a 112-109 Game 4 victory Wednesday night.
But that wasn’t the sole reason the Celtics now face a 3-1 deficit in the Eastern Conference finals. That would be letting Boston off the hook far too easy.
Boston didn’t control what they could have. The team came out flat and was out-hustled for key rebounds late, which Miami almost always made them pay for. The arguably biggest factor was Boston’s own offensive miscues — committing seven fourth-quarter turnovers with 19 (!) in the game.
“There’s so many different aspects,” Kemba Walker said during his postgame press conference when asked the biggest factor behind the loss, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “Definitely some turnovers, offensive rebounds. They definitely had a lot of opportunities to score the basketball. So yeah, a lot of different things.”
Head coach Brad Stevens had a similar reaction.
“They turned us over in the fourth quarter. Those were huge plays, against the zone,” Stevens said. “We got to do a better job with handling the ball. We got to do a better job with taking care of it. But I thought that and just the rebounding, those multiple possessions where they got multiple rebounds, and our first-half shooting, probably did us in tonight.”
“… Herro’s shot-making tonight was, in addition to the things we just talked about that were our own issues, was the difference in the game. Jimmy (Butler) was great late. (Bam) Adebayo was his typical self. (Goran) Dragic made some big plays, but Herro was ridiculously good tonight. The rim must’ve looked like the ocean to him.”
Jaylen Brown added: “(I) think (Miami) made some tough shots. Think they made a lot of tough shots, the rookie Tyler Herro made a lot of tough shots. I think that’s what stands out the most.”
Herro concluded with 37 points, 17 of which came in the fourth. Boston, however, took an 85-84 lead with just shy of nine minutes left in the fourth. It ultimately disappeared due to their turnovers and mistakes down the stretch.More NBA:Celtics Wrap: Tyler Herro Leads Heat To Game 4 Win, 3-1 Series Lead
Here are some other notes from Wednesday’s Celtics-Heat game:
— Boston shot 40% from the field in the first half as the Heat took a then eight-point lead before holding a 50-44 advantage at the break.
Celtics players were at a loss for what happened, and why after four days off, they came out looking the way they did.
“I can’t explain why,” Walker said. “I don’t know, to be honest… But at the end of the day, we just have to be better.”
Stevens even said Boston was fortunate to trail just six at half.
“I thought our first half, we looked, for whatever reason, we didn’t look crisp,” Stevens said. “And obviously that showed itself in our shooting numbers. I thought we were lucky to be 50-44 at halftime, to be candid. … For whatever reason our first half just wasn’t as good as it’s been.”
— Tatum fit that slow start, as well.
The NBA All-Star didn’t score during his first 22 minutes of game action, before a 3-pointer with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
“I wasn’t aggressive enough. I didn’t score in the first half, that’s unacceptable. So, I know I have to play better,” Tatum said. “It’s tough. Like I said, they played better than us in the first half. Second half we picked it up but they were already in a rhythm, and they felt good about themselves a lot of guys made a number of good plays, and it’s tough to come back from.”
— And just like that, Game 5 is just around the corner.
One message that was echoed throughout the team was the fact that the Celtics have to turn the page quickly as it’s now ‘Win Or Go Home’ time. And while their 3-1 deficit may be daunting, the Celtics are just looking at playing their best game yet on Friday, nothing more.
“I don’t know the historical odds are, or whatever that, and that doesn’t really matter. The situation we’re in we have to play well Friday. We don’t have to win three games on Friday, we have to win one. That’s going to be our focus, that’s going to be our attention,” Stevens said.
— Game 5 will be held Friday with tip off set for 8:30 p.m. ET.More NBA:Celtics Give Emotional Reactions To Decision In Breonna Taylor Case
The post Celtics Notes: Boston Gives Honest Assessment Of Game 4 Loss Vs. Heat appeared first on NESN.com.
Much has been made of the Celtics’ so-called core five this week. They’re the unit Brad Stevens goes with late in games, with Daniel Theis plugged in depending on the matchup, and Wednesday night the combination of Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward simply didn’t have a timely answer. Especially…
Celtics fall in Game 4 to Miami, 112-109 — Boston Herald
Romeo Langford’s rookie season is over.
Romeo Langford Out For Rest Of Playoffs After Undergoing Wrist Surgery — CBS Boston
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Getting angry worked wonders for the Boston Celtics. Their first win in these Eastern Conference finals just happened to come two nights after Marcus Smart sparked a loud and emotional series of shouting matches inside the Celtics’ locker room, all of that starting only a few seconds after the Miami…
Back to work: Celtics, Heat start getting ready for Game 4 — Boston Herald
Their most emotional night of the season behind them – every team has some scarring, said coach Brad Stevens – the Celtics came out in even-tempered, efficient form Saturday night. Gone were the runs on turnovers, the blown leads, and especially, confusion against Miami’s 3-2 zone. Jaylen Brown attacked the rim in a 26-point, 11-for-16…
Celtics take Game 3 over Miami, 117-106 — Boston Herald
1:21 AM ET The Miami Heat‘s habit of falling into big second-half holes finally caught up to them during Saturday night’s 117-106 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night. After overcoming a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1 and a 15-point third-quarter deficit in Game 2, […]
Butler on loss: Digging out of big holes ‘gets old’ — VOICE OF THE HWY
The Miami Heat‘s habit of falling into big second-half holes finally caught up to them during Saturday night’s 117-106 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.
After overcoming a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1 and a 15-point third-quarter deficit in Game 2, the Heat fell down by as many as 20 in Game 3 and could never get back on track.
It’s a pattern that Heat players and coaches have discussed openly about fixing over the past few days, but it was the Celtics who set the tone early yet again Saturday night in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
“We’ve got to start the game how we start the fourth,” Heat All-Star big man Bam Adebayo said. “I feel like we’re not the type of team where we can go through the motions and try and figure out everything in the first half, and then in the third or fourth, we just try to turn it on. It’s not like that. We are not that type of team.”
The Celtics used a 31-22 first quarter to set an early tone that they were able to build upon throughout the night. The Heat did not have an answer for the Celtics’ aggression and did a much better job defensively on Heat guard Goran Dragic, holding the sharpshooter to just 2-for-10 from the field.
“I think it gets old, playing from behind, consistently,” Heat All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler said. “Especially against a great team like Boston and what they bring to the table.”
The Heat now have to wait until Game 4 on Wednesday night to fix the same issue that has hampered them throughout the series. Despite still holding a 2-1 series lead, players expressed frustration afterward, as they lost for just the second time in the postseason bubble.
“We’ve got to play with detail,” Adebayo said. “I feel like we’ve got to work on our offense a little bit. They got us on our heels. They were out there hooping it up and having fun. I feel like that was the big difference in the game. They jumped out on us, and I guess they got tired of us being down 13 and coming back and winning. We’ve just got to do a better job of not letting ourselves get in a big deficit.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra gave the Celtics credit for keeping their foot on the gas pedal after losing focus over the first two games of the series.
“Look, this is the playoffs,” Spoelstra said. “So you deal with whatever is in front of you. They came out, Boston did, with great force in this game and you do have to credit them for that. They sustained it for the better majority of the game. We were on our heels most of the game.”
The Heat remain confident in themselves, but it’s a trend they know they must fix to continue their dream run in the bubble. Aside from the fact they fell into yet another early hole, what frustrated Butler is that he knows his team can play harder. He acknowledged after Game 2 that the Celtics had more talent on paper than the Heat do, and he knows that to get to the NBA Finals, they have to make up for that talent disparity in other areas.
“We didn’t play hard enough,” Butler said. “I think we didn’t do anything that we said that we were going to do. We knew how they were going to attack us. We weren’t helping each other. We weren’t making an extra pass a lot of the times. We have to play basketball the way we have been playing the games that we have been winning. We understand that. There’s nothing that Coach can say. There’s nothing that OG [Udonis Haslem] can say. We get it. We have to be the ones to fix that.”
Gordon Hayward was the topic of conversation in more ways than one Saturday. First and foremost started with Hayward’s return. The Celtics forward played his first game since Aug. 17, helping Boston defeat the Miami Heat 117-106 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. And then were the details that Hayward did not plan […]
What Gordon Hayward Explained About Bubble Departure, Game 3 Production — NESN.com
First and foremost started with Hayward’s return. The Celtics forward played his first game since Aug. 17, helping Boston defeat the Miami Heat 117-106 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
And then were the details that Hayward did not plan to leave the NBA’s bubble, like originally expressed. Hayward said in June he would leave Orlando as his wife, Robyn, is pregnant with their fourth child. Hayward, though, since departing the bubble already to rehab an injured ankle, has changed his mind.
The Celtics wing explained that he will stay with the team instead.
“Yeah, I mean, that obviously wasn’t in the plan, getting injured, going back to Indiana for treatment,” Hayward told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage.
Of note, Hayward’s wife was also in Indiana when the 30-year-old was going through rehab for a Grade III ankle sprain.
“… And Robyn could be having the baby at any point in time, and so I think it’s probably something I’ll be here and by the time I get back I might miss the birth. We discussed it, we prayed about it, and I think it’s probably best I stay here and help our team.”More: NBA Rumors: Gordon Hayward Will ‘Stay With Celtics’ If Wife Goes Into Labor
If Saturday’s any indication, Hayward certainly will help. He was a driving factor in the Celtics getting back on the right side of things, despite the fact they trail the Heat 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
“Yeah, I mean it was, I definitely felt weird out there. It’s been four or five weeks or whatever since I’ve played basketball. So, I think it was really fun to be back out there with the team, with the guys,” Hayward said. “I just tried to impact our team in winning ways, whatever I could do. First five minutes, I was gassed. I’m extremely tired right now. My ankle is pretty sore. But just proud of the way we fought, proud of us getting the win.”
Hayward admitted that with it being the first time he’s played five-on-five basketball since Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, it didn’t take long for him to get winded. And he also is well-aware he’s not quite 100%, but is thinking he’ll get there.
“The first five minutes hit differently for sure. That’s the first time I’ve played five on five basketball. Just the way rehab had to be down here, it was so much different,” he said. “I think definitely not at 100%, but it’s kind of just what it is. It’s the Eastern Conference finals, so I’m going to give us whatever I can. As we keep going I’ll find my rhythm and be better and better, that’s the plan at least.”
Head coach Brad Stevens, though, praised Hayward for his ability to “stabilize” the offense. It’s something Boston had missed without him in the lineup, helping facilitate on that side of the floor while making impactful plays.
“I think me personally just trying to help us offensively, being someone who can get in the paint, create, help us rebound, bring the ball up thinking if we can run they cant set up their defense,” Hayward said. “We have so many athletes, so many guys that can score it makes it more difficult for them.”
Boston will continue to try and make it difficult on Miami as the Celtics face the Heat on Wednesday for Game 4.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
Mark Medina | USA TODAY With frustrations running high, the voices in the Boston Celtics’ locker room became increasingly loud. So loud that reporters on site could hear Celtics guard Marcus Smart and other players having heated conversations following their 106-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which […]
Why Celtics downplayed ‘emotional’ locker room blowup following Game 2 loss to Heat — Portal4News
USA TODAY
With frustrations running high, the voices in the Boston Celtics’ locker room became increasingly loud.
So loud that reporters on site could hear Celtics guard Marcus Smart and other players having heated conversations following their 106-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which puts Boston in an 0-2 series deficit.
“It was nothing. It was nothing,” Celtics guard Kemba Walker said. “Ain’t nothing happening in the locker room. I don’t know what you’re talking about, to be honest. We’ll be fine.”
The Celtics hardly looked fine in Game 2.
They squandered a 17-point lead as Miami outscored Boston 37-17 in the third quarter. The Heat scored 26 points off the Celtics’ 19 turnovers. And after holding a 94-89 lead with 4:25 left following a 15-2 run, the Heat responded with a 17-7 run while the Celtics missed four of their last six shots and committed three turnovers. This all happened two days after Boston blew a 14-point lead in Game 1.
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No wonder the Celtics expressed displeasure in the locker room afterwards. As Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, “guys were emotional after a hard game, hard loss.”
“We’re down 0-2. We’re frustrated. But that’s team sports,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said. “No one should be happy to be down 0-2. But nothing out of the ordinary. Just talking about the game.”
“He plays with passion, he’s full of fire and that’s what I love about him most.”
Jaylen Brown on Marcus Smart and reported heated Celtics locker room after Game 2 loss pic.twitter.com/rNa9etgTDZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2020
Celtics players did not necessarily talk about the game in the locker room. They screamed about the game with expletives. But when they went to the interview room, they sounded stoic and polite.
“What happens in the locker room got to stay in the locker room,” Tatum said. “We’re not supposed to come out here and talk about what we talk about as a team. Win or lose. That’s why we go to the locker room when we talk to each other, whether we win or we lose.”
The reason for the Celtics’ loss points to many areas.
The Heat’s entire starting lineup cracked double figures, including Goran Dragic (25 points), Bam Adebayo (21), Duncan Robinson (18), Jimmy Butler (14) and Jae Crowder (12). Miami dominated Boston on the offensive glass (11-6). The Celtics struggled against the Heat’s zone defense in the third quarter, while shooting 4-of-12 from the field.
Although the Celtics had Walker (23 points) Tatum (21), Jaylen Brown (21) and Smart (14) reach double figures, they could not prevail in crunch time. Walker missed a 3-pointer as Miami held a 97-95 lead with 2:06 left. Smart clanked a 3-pointer on the next possession before committing a turnover. Then it was Brown’s turn to miss from deep as the Heat had a 104-101 lead with only 15.1 seconds left.
“We didn’t continue to do the things that we did to get us up and get us that lead,” Walker said. “I think we got kind of comfortable. Those guys, they took advantage of it. They played hard. They played really hard. They played a lot harder than us. They wanted it.”
All of which led to some frustrations afterwards. So much that the Celtics don’t plan to have a formal practice Friday. Either way, they will have plenty to address before Game 3 on Saturday. Perhaps then, voices won’t be raised.
“Got to fix some things up,” Tatum said. “Two times now we’ve had a couple double-digit leads and we let go of the ropes. We got to figure out why that keeps happening. Just have to be prepared to win the next one.”
Follow USA TODAY NBA writer Mark Medina on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The view from left field 