NBA: Celtics Beat Heat, Avoid Sweep, Survive Eastern Final | NBA

The Miami Heat had a knife and cheese on hand to get the sweep. After opening with a 3-0 lead in the series against the Boston Celtics, the Florida side greeted the opposing team in a casket under the highest expectations. All went well until the third quarter. From then on, Jayson Tatum and company began to assert themselves until they beat Jimmy Butler’s team for the first time in this playoff. With a 116-to-99 win this Tuesday, the Celtics are still alive in the Eastern Conference Final.

With tonight’s victory, the Celtics also prevented a 66-year-old taboo from being broken. It was in the distant 1957 that the Boston Celtics and St. The Louis Hawks (today’s Atlanta Hawks) managed to qualify for the NBA Finals without the opponent winning a game in the series.

With 33 points and 11 rebounds, Jason Tatum was the individual highlight of Tuesday’s game. Jaylen Brown (17 points), Derrick White (16 points) and Grant Williams (14 points) were the standouts in the Celtics victory. For Miami, Jimmy Butler scored 29 points. Other significant figures include Gabe Vincent, 17, and Caleb Martin, 16.

The Celtics got off to a better start, opening 8 to 3. In three minutes, Tatum won the rebound and made it 12 to 8 for the visitors. Boston’s lead was short-lived, however. In the fifth, Jimmy Butler tied it at 12 to 12. The turn came in seven on a three-volley by Vincent: 18 to 15. The drive spurred Miami, which soon jumped to 22 to 15. In the 10th, Martin hit another three-volley, expanding to 29 to 20. The Celtics still tried to react, but ended the quarter losing 29 to 23.

The second quarter came around, and the game panorama followed suit. Managing the score well, the Heat jumped 33 to 26 in less than three minutes. Betting on Al Horford’s three balls, Boston was down 34 to 32 after four minutes. Seconds later, Tatum and Williams put the Celtics back in front: 37 to 34.

The game was hotly contested over the next few minutes, and in the seventh, Martin put Miami back in front – 43 to 42 – by hitting three balls. In the ninth, Lowry made a nice defensive move and released Martin, who ran on his own to score 47 to 44. A minute later it was Adebayo’s turn to make it 54 to 49. With no possibility of looking for a new reaction before the break, Boston went to the locker room with six points. Double – 56 to 50.

The Heat returned to the second quarter ready to decide the game as quickly as possible. So much so that the score was 61 to 52 in two minutes. However, the Boston team got up in the next minutes, and began a crushing series of points, which culminated in a new comeback. When the Celtics went 68-61 on a basket by Smart, head coach Eric Spoelstra stopped the game.

Even with the stoppage, the Celtics continued to improve, and in the eighth, Tatum scored 78-for-69. A minute later, it was Williams’ turn to hit a three-pointer and left the visitors ahead 10 points: 81 to 71. As a result, Boston finished the quarter with an 88-79 win.

Pushing their fans, Miami cut the lead to five early in the fourth quarter – 88 to 83. Boston’s watchword was to get up, and in the fourth, Smart made it 94 to 83. In the fifth, Tatum hit the ball with a three, and the Celtics opened a 14-point lead: 97 to 83. The Heat sensed it and began to take control. With Tatum improving on the game, the visiting team opened 107 to 90 with three minutes left. With no strength to fight back, it was up to Miami to try to avoid an even worse rout in the dying minutes. Better for the Celtics, who confirmed the victory by 116 to 99.

(8) Miami Heat 3 x 1 Boston Celtics (2)