Game 3: Heat 109, Celtics 103 | Heat lead 2-1
Who was the guy? Bam Adebayo. With Kyle Lowry back, Adebayo led the Miami Heat to a convincing victory over the Boston Celtics. With Adebayo being aggressive, it left the Celtics without any real answers. He was slippery moving to the basket, finding seams and grooves for easy buckets. His jumper in the middle of the paint was always there for him, and he reminded us all that he’s bigger and more athletic than most players on the court. He finished with 31 points on 22 shots and added 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a game Heat fans have been begging for him to have.
Key stat: 19. Of the Celtics’ 24 turnovers, in which they gave up 33 points, 19 of them happened on steals by the Heat. Nineteen! Three different players had at least four steals for Miami. Five different players had multiple steals. As aggressive as Miami was on defense, the Celtics played absent-mindedly for most of the game. They brought the ball down into the danger zone. They dribbled into traps. They threw careless passes.
The moment it was over: After a Jaylen Brown 3-pointer cut the deficit to 93-92 with 2 minutes, 40 seconds left in the game, the Heat spent roughly the next 90 seconds going on a 7-0 run to push it out of reach for Boston. Max Strusknocked down a 3-point shot. Adebayo hit a tough, contested shot. P.J. Tucker followed with a couple of free throws and then it was all academic at that point with Boston playing the foul game.
What can the Heat do to win Game 4? We’ll have to see the status of Jimmy Butler before we know what to expect from them. Assuming they’re fully healthy, I wouldn’t change much from the Game 3 plan. They were hyperactive on defense and created a ton of chaos on that end of the floor. Generating nearly 20 live-ball turnovers isn’t sustainable. Adebayo needs to be just as aggressive, if not more. He can slip around any of the coverages Boston has, and we know he’s a great playmaker. The more gravity he has moving toward the hoop, the more space the Heat’s shooters will have on the perimeter.
What can the Celtics do to win Game 4? Having Robert Williams III back will be important. Having Marcus Smart mobile as he battles a sprained ankle will be huge. Anybody else on the Celtics potentially not playing in Game 4 is big. The Celtics need health here, and they need to take care of the ball. They’re not going to win playoff games when they’re giving the ball away this often. We saw a lot of good things in the second half. Brown needs to be aggressive. He can score almost any time he wants. They also have to get Jayson Tatum some easier shots.
Sunday
Western Conference finals Game 3: Warriors at Mavericks, 9 p.m. ET (TNT) | Warriors lead series 2-0
(Photo of Bam Adebayo: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)
