Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Game 2 Loss: Celtics Blow 12-Point Fourth-Quarter Lead, Go to Miami Down 0-2

The Celtics gave up four offensive rebounds and had as many turnovers in the final frame, letting a double-digit lead slip.

Bobby Krivitsky

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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For the second-straight game, the Celtics crumbled in crunch time. They were outscored 19-7 in the final five minutes, letting a 12-point fourth-quarter advantage slip away.

The hosts couldn't keep the Heat off the glass, surrendering four offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, including one that produced a backbreaking dunk by Bam Adebayo.

They also committed four turnovers, leading to nine of Miami's 36 points in the last 12 minutes. Those giveaways contributed to Boston only putting 22 on the board in the final frame.

Facing the team in the NBA that does a better job than any other at not beating itself, the Celtics' again undermining themselves, just as they did in Game 1, sends them to South Beach down 0-2.

Now, for a deep dive into how they put themselves in that hole.

1. Boston got punished on the boards to open the first frame, giving up three offensive rebounds, which Miami converted into a 7-0 advantage in second-chance points. It could've been worse had Kevin Love not missed a put-back layup.

But to the hosts' credit, they only gave up two more offensive rebounds and narrowed the gap to 9-6 in second-chance points by the end of the period.

2. Jayson Tatum came out aggressive, often attacking downhill, leading to him pacing all scorers with 11 points after 12 minutes. He also found his rhythm early, knocking down 2/3 shots from beyond the arc, helping the Celtics take a 25-24 lead into the second frame after a low-scoring start to Game 2.

3. The first quarter also featured a 3:36 Grant Williams shift. After not playing in the series opener on Wednesday, the former Tennessee Volunteer quickly made an impact, including running the floor with Tatum in transition and cleaning up a missed layup by the former. Williams was a plus-seven in those minutes.

And in the second period, Williams showed his poise, calmly catching the ball in the middle of the paint, facing up, opting against a lob to Robert Williams, with a defender down low, instead finding Derrick White for a corner three. That was part of a 13-0 run, stretching from late in the first quarter to an 8-0 burst early in the second.

4. Interestingly enough, Erik Spoelstra then took a timeout that slowed the hosts' momentum. Shortly after he signaled for it, the Heat staged a 19-2 run, pulling ahead 47-42. Caleb Martin registered eight of those points.

5. Tatum and Jaylen Brown played just under nine minutes each in the second frame but combined for six points. While the former entered halftime with 14, the latter had six on 3/12 shooting and missed all three attempts from three-point range.

Trailing 54-50 at the break, the Celtics need their All-NBA First Team wing to recapture his rhythm in the second half and their All-NBA Second Team wing to find his rhythm for the first time tonight.

6. Joe Mazzulla switched up his starting lineup to open the second half, downsizing with Derrick White in for Robert Williams. The former drilled 3/5 shots in the first 24 minutes, all from beyond the arc.

Pivoting from the double-big lineup is in Boston's best interest in this series. And with more speed on the floor, the hosts outscored the Heat 11-6 to start the third quarter.

Their hot start featured Brown heating up, scoring the Celtics' first five points, and delivering a dime to Tatum for a transition layup. Playing far better than they did to open the third frame in Game 1 erased their halftime deficit, taking a 61-60 edge on a dunk from their four-time All-Star.

7. While it wasn't the 46-25 haymaker the Heat threw in the third quarter of the series opener, Boston decisively won the third frame on Friday, outscoring the visitors 31-21.

The hosts shot 61.1% from the field and made 3/7 threes -- you'd at least like the former to be higher. But they also held Miami to 1/6 from beyond the arc.

Tatum put on a dominant display in the period, delivering 15 of his game-high 29 points through the first 36 minutes. He also grabbed six defensive rebounds, helping limit the Heat to three second-chance points in the third frame.

8. The lineup featuring Brogdon, Brown, Tatum, and the Williams' was Boston's best on Friday. They were well spaced, often leading to the Time Lord scoring at the rim or giving their All-NBA wings gaps to attack, and capitalized on their size and versatility defensively, giving the Heat problems at both ends of the floor.

That group propelled the hosts to a 12-point fourth-quarter lead. But after Robert Williams subbed out for Al Horford with the Celtics leading 93-87 with 7:41 left, despite playing significantly better than the latter, the Time Lord didn't get back in until they were trailing 105-102 with 49.1 seconds left.

Joe Mazzulla also stuck with Grant Williams for too long. As well as the latter played, leaving him in during crunch time resulted in him poking the bear that is Jimmy Butler, chirping him after knocking down a three, then getting face-to-face with the Heat star after Butler scored on him, resulting in double technicals.

Starting from when Williams began trash-talking Butler after the former's three, the latter registered nine of his 27 points, leading the visitors' comeback.

9. The Celtics may have let the series slip away, failing to keep Miami off the boards in the final frame. The Heat grabbed four offensive rebounds in the last 12 minutes, including Bam Adebayo snagging one and flushing a put-back dunk that gave the visitors a 105-100 lead with 55 seconds left. Four turnovers leading to nine Miami points in the fourth quarter didn't help either.

That combination undermined the Celtics, who fell 111-105, again losing on their home floor, and now head to South Beach down 0-2.

Up Next

Game 3 between the Celtics and Heat is Sunday night at the Kaseya Center; tip-off is at 8:30 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the matchup before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Joe Mazzulla Explains Playing Payton Pritchard but Not Grant Williams in Game 1 of Eastern Conference Finals

Joe Mazzulla Reflects on Celtics' Latest Third-Quarter Letdown: 'We Have to Have the Understanding You Just Can't Relax'

Marcus Smart Defends Joe Mazzulla's Strategy After Game 1 Loss to Miami Heat

Celtics Discuss Heat Outscoring Them 46-25 in Third Quarter of Game 1: 'We Allowed Them to Do What They Wanted'

Celtics Address 'Letting Go of the Rope' After Game 1 Loss to Heat

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Game 1 Loss: Heat's Third-Quarter Haymaker Propels Them to 1-0 Lead

Jaylen Brown Discusses Whether Making an All-NBA Team Provides Clarity About His Future

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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