This rout was satisfaction guaranteed
MIAMI — This place has never been so nice to the Celtics as it was Thursday night. A throng of Celtics faithful filed into Kaseya Center looking for something different from the visiting team, seeking more of a reason to believe this year will be different.
The party appeared to crescendo when two-way rookie Jordan Walsh checked into the game with 3 minutes, 14 seconds left with the Celtics starters already icing their knees at the end of the bench. They completed their January mission and beat the Heat soundly, showing their rivals their new tools and features as they continue their march toward the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics led for the final 44:34 in a complete, 143-110 domination of a Miami team in the midst of a seasonworst slump and still trying to gain consistency and cohesion.
The Celtics don’t have such issues. They are far ahead of Miami right now, although coach Erik Spoelstra undoubtedly will devise ways to make up the distance before the playoffs. As of now, the Celtics are playing their best basketball of the season.
They followed a close home loss to Denver with three consecutive wins, including pastings of the Mavericks and the Heat, and the victory over the Heat has to provide temporary satisfaction because of their recent history.
Despite two days off in sunny Miami, the Celtics entered Thursday focused. They scored 42 points in the opening quarter, fought off a Miami run in the second, then pulled away in the third. The ball was moving, the 3pointers were swishing, and the paint points were piling up.
It was a complete performance, with Jayson Tatum leading the way with 26 points and six teammates scoring in double figures. The only blemish was a sprained left ankle sustained by Kristaps Porzingis, who rolled his left foot on the shoe of Miami’s Bam Adebayo and fell to the floor writhing in pain.
He limped to the locker room but minutes later, reappeared on the bench with no ice on the ankle, joking with teammates. The Celtics didn’t need his services anymore. They had punished their opponent with 22 3pointers, also gashing the Miami defense with cuts to the basket.
In Miami’s defense, it played Wednesday, losing at home to the shorthanded Grizzlies, but the second game for former Celtic Terry Rozier made no difference. Boston wanted to make as much of a statement as it could in a January game.
“You understand that obviously we played a couple of times in the playoffs, we always know it’s going to be a tough battle against them,” Tatum said. “Well-coached, they played hard, they play together. So we were just trying to be locked in. And it was a good win. But we’re just trying to get better every day.”
There was a humility after this win. Tatum pointed out the Celtics allowed 64 points allowed in the first half. Jaylen Brown said it was one of the better “offensive” games this season.
“I don’t know if it’s the best we’ve played,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I think it’s the most intentional that we’ve played. I think after that game, the biggest lesson without watching the film is just how the guys impact each other. If you look at the box score, it’s well balanced. If you look at the defensive activity, everyone participated and I think it was one of those games where if we’re at our best, we impact each other on both ends of the floor.”
The balance and teamwork was apparent. The Celtics amassed 36 assists and shot nearly 64 percent from the field against a team that entered ninth in defensive rating. Miami is now 11th.
“What went wrong is we faced a very potent offensive team that’s been doing this for several months now,” Spoelstra said. “It was a humbling night, that’s for sure. They put us in our place and you do have to respect the body of work they’ve done so far in this season. They’re the No. 1 team in the league with that record and they’re doing it on both ends of the court.
“They don’t miss many moments offensively. If somebody is open, they make you pay for that. You have to be really intentional and disciplined and intelligent offensively over and over and over because of that firepower. That’s the standard. We understand what the top record in the East looks like and we have some work to do, and that’s what we’ll do.”
The Miami Heat in May will be considerably different than they are in January. Spoelstra certainly will make sure of that.
But the Celtics have carried a business-like approach into each game this season that has been unlike previous years. Perhaps it’s experience, past pains, past regrets, especially after watching the Heat win Game 7 at TD Garden and advance to the NBA Finals last season, while the Celtics were left to ponder their mistakes, miscues, and lackadaisical stretches.
The standout stretch occurred late in the third quarter when the Heat worked a 23-point deficit down to 16 and Tatum headed to the bench. The Celtics responded with a 10-3 run to end the period, with backup center Luke Kornet scoring the final 8 points.
The depth has been critical. The focus has been impeccable.
“A lot goes into it, just experience level helps, going through high-pressurized moments, it doesn’t feel the same each time just because you go through the same thing over and over again,” Brown said. “It builds like an armor and a lot of our guys have played in some high level of basketball, so we walk into these moments and they’re ready to go. We walk in with a smile on our face, ready to play ball.”