{"id":102013,"date":"2022-03-31T07:50:50","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T11:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=102013"},"modified":"2022-04-01T05:07:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T09:07:12","slug":"top-seed-setback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/top-seed-setback\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics Fall to Heat, Blow Chance at Re-Taking Top Seed in East"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a matchup brimming with playoff intensity on the court and in the crowd the Celtics went cold at the wrong time, and a Robert Williams III-sized hole was glaringly clear in the final moments of the 106-98 loss to the Miami Heat Wednesday night.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

It was a game eerily reminiscent of some of the Celtics early season 4th quarter collapses. Games where the team would play well in spurts and put itself in a position to win, but have all their efforts undone by poor execution, lack of discipline and sloppy play late. The Celtics managed only two points over the final 4:21 of the game, They were outscored in the frame 27-15, turning a 4 point lead into an 8 point loss. The Celtics turned the ball over 4 times in the 4th and missed just as many makeable attempts at the rim.<\/p>\n

This was Boston’s second game since Robert Williams suffered a torn meniscus. Williams underwent surgery earlier in the day and could return in 4-6 weeks. The best case scenario has Williams back for the second round, which if the current standings hold would pit the Celtics against this same Miami Heat team.<\/p>\n

The Breakdown<\/b><\/h2>\n

Just over a minute into the first quarter, Head Coach Ime Udoka had seen enough. The Celtics started the game with two defensive breakdowns, and Udoka decided to fix that problem before Boston dug itself into a hole with an early timeout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jaylen Brown scored the first 11 points for the Celtics before the rest of the team began to step up. Al Horford was a force as a passer and on the boards, setting up open looks for Boston and grabbing 15 rebounds. Jayson Tatum started slow, but he finished the game with 23 points despite clear frustration with the officials throughout the game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Heat went on a run in the third quarter, building an early lead that prompted another early Udoka timeout.\u00a0 Boston fell victim to a hot-shooting night by Miami guard Kyle Lowry, who his three threes in the quarter, finishing with 23 points and 8 assists. After Miami stretched their lead to 11, Boston leapt back into the game, exploding for a 16-0 run that was capped off by an Al Horford and-one dunk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Boston and Miami traded blows from there, and a closing lineup of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and Derrick White kept things close until the final minute for the Celtics. A pair of acrobatic layups by Brown helped the Celtics take a brief lead in the fourth quarter, but the same looks didn\u2019t fall for the forward in the final minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brown missed two layups in the last two minutes, and both were followed by Heat buckets, including a Jimmy Butler dunk that proved to be the dagger. Smart was ejected from the game in the final seconds, and Tatum received a technical of his own in the first half that created a concerningly similar vibe to the early season performances by the Celtics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur team in general, [I] felt like we were talking too much,” Udoka said after the game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was Tatum\u2019s 13th technical of the season. If he reaches the 16-mark, he will be suspended for one game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’m very aware,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cI do not want to have to sit out a game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n