Repeat Monday will do nicely
Just. Do. That.
Just play like that, the way the Celtics did without ever allowing their intensity to wane in their wire-to-wire 104-84 victory over the Heat Saturday night in the crucial Game 3 of the Eastern Conference firstround series, and they will eliminate any self-inflicted drama and unnecessary suspense from their NBA playoff journey.
Play like that — just do that, again and again, individually and collectively — and soon enough, the dastardly Heat will be eliminated, with no more suspense and drama beyond what has already been endured.
It’s OK to admit you were . . . well, if not outright worried heading into Game 3 in Miami, at least concerned, and definitely nervous.
The Heat have been a particular kind of nemesis to the Celtics over the last decade or so, and perhaps the worst kind: They are not as purely talented as the Celtics (especially this year), but their toughness is a feature, coach Erik Spoelstra learned the darker arts of basketball strategy from Pat Riley, and every matchup with Miami, no matter the circumstances, inevitably becomes excruciating at some point.
The Heat, no matter their condition or expectations, can be counted on to show up. They are a professional nuisance.
Except on Saturday night, in their first home game of this series, after burying a franchise-playoff-record 23 3-pointers in Game 2 in Boston to even the series and send the vast majority of Boston fans and media into “here we go again” mode, the Heat did not show.
Know why? Because the Celtics refused to let them in the door to their own place.
Kristaps Porzingis, who hit just 1 of 9 shots in Game 2, scored the Celtics’ first 8 points on a pair of 3-pointers and a thunderous alley-oop dunk on a Jrue Holiday pass. Any concern that there would be carryover frustration from his Game 2 performance evaporated before the first TV timeout.
The Celtics made it clear that they weren’t messing around, leading, 21-12, after a first quarter in which their defensive intensity — and willingness to hustle to contest shots even after encountering a barrage of Bam Adebayo picks, screens, lead blocks, and hip checks — proved unwavering.
Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser hit backto-back 3s to open the second quarter, and the lead ballooned to 63-39 at halftime. The Heat had just four 3-pointers at the break. The Celtics’ perimeter defenders — particularly Holiday — never left Heat shooters free for long, and the law of averages caught up to them when they did get open.
Some among us are scarred by the Celtics’ recurring third-quarter struggles of past seasons, but there were no worries here. The Celtics maintained their focus to open the second half, with Porzingis knocking down an immediate 3-pointer to open the third quarter and an aggressive-but-under-control Jaylen Brown scoring a pair of buckets to push the lead to 70-43.
There were really no storms to weather, just a few passing clouds. The Celtics led, 8761, after three quarters, and while the pace slowed and the quality of the Celtics’ offensive play devolved slightly in the fourth, this ended up being the second-best kind of win against the Heat: one completely lacking in suspense.
The best kind of win? One that sends them wherever athletes that work in Miami go in the offseason.
This win was the blueprint for how they need to do this.
Everyone played well within his role. Tatum finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists (and another half-dozen or so hockey assists, when he made the pass that led to the pass that led to a basket) and picked his isolation spots well. He didn’t have a turnover — the Celtics committed just six as a team — and played a smart, disciplined, and complete game.
Brown (22 points, and just one turnover) overpowered Heat perimeter defenders practically at will. Holiday’s patient passing led to several easy shots for teammates. Payton Pritchard provided an immediate energy boost when he entered the game in the first quarter. Al Horford (9 points, six rebounds) was a rock. Porzingis set the early tone.
Who else?
Oh, right, Derrick White. All he did was remind us, most pointedly during a secondquarter stretch in which he scored 12 points in 2 minutes, 52 seconds, that the Celtics are at their absolute best when the basketball is in his hands. He’s good at everything. He sees everything. He makes quick and inevitably correct decisions. He does not back down from physical play.
I can’t whittle his highlights Saturday night down to one favorite play. Was it his second-quarter offensive rebound — he crashed from the 3-point line — and putback of a missed Tatum free throw, which was so reminiscent of his heady buzzer-beater in Game 6 of the conference finals against the Heat last year? His driving layup in the third quarter after Caleb Martin attempted to pinball him around the entire court? His confident pull-up to make it 78-57 when the Heat were searching for one last flicker of hope?
It’s funny, it’s almost like the rest of the Celtics made a conscious effort to play with White’s (and Holiday’s) usual selfless ethos in Game 3. They shared the ball, and they share credit in the win.
Now, heading into Monday’s Game 4, you know what they have to do. Hopefully they remember too.
Just. Do. That.
Again.