New shock and new victory for Boston which was able to confirm its “Opening Night” at Madison Square Garden with a first success at home this season, against Miami. As in Game 6 of the last conference final where he distinguished himself with a decisive tap, Derrick White was the man of the match with his 28 points, to support Jaylen Brown (27 points) and Jayson Tatum in attack ( 22 points).
The Heat struck first, with Bam Adebayo quickly causing the second foul from Kristaps Porzingis, and the hot shot from Tyler Herro, author of two 3-point baskets and an assist for Jimmy Butler (13-24 ).
3-pointers from Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum quickly put the Celtics back in the game (31-33). Jayson Tatum shifted gears with three baskets and two assists before passing the baton to Jaylen Brown, author of a dunk and a 3-pointer to fuel the 13-4 lead passed by the locals just before the break (60- 55).
Miami cracks at the end
The two teams went blow for blow in the third quarter and Miami did better than resist, finishing at +1, still relying on a solid Bam Adebayo and arrows fired in turn by Kevin Love, Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson (87-88).
Derrick White put Boston back on track with two outside shots and a floater (96-90). Jaylen Brown responded twice to Bam Adebayo but Miami refused to give up. Jayson Tatum’s dunk and Derrick White’s sequence, with a 3-pointer and a chasedown block on Jimmy Butler then placed the Floridians in embarrassment (109-101).
The last 3-point baskets from Tyler Herro and Kevin Love were not enough to reverse the trend. In an armchair, Jaylen Brown then sealed the suspense with a final shot from behind the arc to offer the C’s a second victory in two games (119-111).
TO REMEMBER
– Derrick White, pet peeve. The Heat will still have nightmares about Derrick White, already author of the winning basket in Game 6 of the last conference finals and again author of a big performance for their reunion. The fullback this time stood out for his quality outside shooting (5/7) but also for his activity in defense, rewarded by three counterattacks, including the action of the match on Jimmy Butler.
– Regrets for Miami. The game changed as Miami came back to within one possession on a 3-point shot from Kevin Love one minute from the end (114-111). While Jimmy Butler seemed to accompany Derrick White to a return to the zone, the Heat winger was finally penalized for a foul which gave White two shots. Despite the challenge from Erik Spoelstra, furious at the absence of contact at the end of the action, the referees confirmed their decision, and placed Boston in the best possible position.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Derrick White. The X factor of dating. With activity on both sides of the field, decisive baskets, efficiency and a final counter on Jimmy Butler who went alone on the counterattack to bring the Heat back to their senses.
✅ The Brown-Tatum tandem. The two Celtics stars were able to take turns scoring without stepping on each other’s toes. They were particularly valuable after the break when Miami tried to get back into the lead, with some notable actions, between JT’s dunk and JB’s 3-point win.
✅⛔ Kristaps Porzingis. Expected to face Bam Adebayo, the Latvian was in more difficulty after his exit at 30 points. Out for six fouls in the money-time, he returned the minimum, with 17 points at 6/12 shooting, 9 rebounds and 3 interceptions for a +/- of -12, the only negative of the entire Celtics team .
✅⛔ The Herro-Adebayo tandem. The two finished as the Heat’s top scorers but the first faltered in the last act after being aggressive for three quarters, and the second ended up lacking in efficiency to finish at 10/24, even if he contributed to contain Kristaps Porzingis and bring him out for six fouls.
⛔Jimmy Butler. The winger never really got into his game, which caused a lot of waste in attack at the finish and ended with this counter from Derrick White from behind which made Miami falter at the worst moment.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
