The Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Boston. Jimmy Butler, who has been a star in the playoffs, was a big part of this.
As the No. 8 seed, the Miami Heat had to start the Eastern Conference Finals on the road in Boston. Playoff Jimmy Butler showed up and led his team to a huge 123-116 upset win on the road in Game 1, which took away the Celtics’ home-court edge.
In the second quarter, the Celtics went on a huge run that helped them get a big lead. That made it look like Boston was in charge of the game, but in the third quarter, the defense fell apart, and Miami scored 46 points in that quarter alone. They fought back to take the lead, and they were in charge of the game until the end.
In the last few seconds of the fourth quarter, Jayson Tatum made two mistakes that cost the Celtics a lot of points. This gave Butler and the Heat a chance to win the game. After the second, Butler made a great 3-point shot that made the Heat’s lead 10 points and put the game out of reach.
How did Miami win Game 1 against the odds? Let’s take a look.
Three reasons why the Miami Heat beat the Celtics in Game 1
3. Max Strus
Max Strus scored 15 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in this game. He shot 60 percent from the floor and scored 15 points. Even with a good line, the box score doesn’t show a lot of what he did in this game.
Strus was a big help when the Heat came back into the game in the third quarter. He made several 3-point shots in the quarter and was a big help when Miami needed to answer the Celtics’ quick lead. Throughout the playoffs, he has been a great floor-spacer, and Game 1 was no different.
2. Jimmy Butler
Butler scored 34 points and helped the Heat win with seven assists, six boards, and six steals. He also shot 48 percent from the field. He couldn’t be stopped in this game, and he is still one of the best postseason players this year. He may even be on a run that will go down in history.
Playoff Jimmy was the best player on the court during this game, but especially in the second half. His late 3-pointer, which he made when time was running out and the attack was falling apart, was a game-winner for Boston. Still, he was able to cut to the basket to draw players in and find open Heat shooters from 3-point range.
1. The Heat’s 3-point shooting as a whole
Bam Adebayo could have been the third person on this list, but his defense kept him off. In the first half, he let Robert Williams III do what he wanted. So it made sense to see the Heat’s 51 percent shooting from 3-point range in this game as a huge game-changer.
The Miami Heat blew up in the third quarter and took the lead from the Boston Celtics because of how well and efficiently they played from deep. Everyone on the Heat also showed that they had a wide range. Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry both shot 60 percent, while Kevin Love shot 66 percent. Duncan Robinson was almost the only Heat player who wasn’t on point from 3-point range.
