Jayson Tatum Ignites Celtics Victory Against Heat, Brushes Off Setback | heat vs celtics

Boston -- During Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday afternoon, the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 114-94, with Jayson Tatum, a prominent player for the team, serving as a catalyst in multiple ways.

                                                             

Against Miami's double-teams, he played smart, selfless basketball, recording his first career postseason triple-double with 23 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. However, Tatum also displayed toughness as the game neared its end, springing back from the floor as soon as Heat wing Caleb Martin smacked him while he was flying high to get a rebound. The play frightened the TD Garden fans at first, but it inspired the Celtics to prove they wouldn't be intimidated by the physically strong Heat club.

It's a physical game versus a physical team in the postseason of basketball. Tatum said, "S---'s gonna happen," and that he wanted to prove that he wasn't wounded by getting up from the fall as soon as possible. "It's probably not the last time I'm going to get hit like that in this series."

Martin claimed during the game that he didn't purposely collide with Tatum, but rather that Tatum's momentum had carried him into the air. Replays revealed that Martin may have been pushed from behind by Boston's Jrue Holiday just prior to the incident. After that, Boston star Jaylen Brown shoved Martin away before he could assist Tatum in getting up. After a verbal exchange, Martin and Brown were given technical fouls.

                                                                 

As risky as the play appeared at first, with Tatum seemingly falling on his hip and almost hitting his head on the floor, the Celtics implied that the altercation could serve as a catalyst for future rallies.

The entire circumstance thrilled me, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla remarked. "I enjoyed watching it."

Kristaps Porzingis, the center, stated: "I believe our physicality matched theirs." It's unclear to me whether the Martin collision was an accident. These kind of plays are produced. However, a tiny bit of movement? I believe it will help the playoffs. It was enjoyable."

The Celtics started out with a lot more action than the other team did. According to Porzingis, the team discussed earlier this week avoiding showing any signs of rust and finding a way to take the early lead in Game 1. The team finished the regular season with three weeks remaining and no key games remaining.

"It was difficult for us to trick ourselves into maintaining this crazy mindset of winning every single regular-season game [after clinching the top seed]," said Porzingis. "However, we were aware that the real one was on the horizon, and I'm happy with how tonight's outcome turned out. It prepares us for the remainder of our journey."

The message was obviously understood since the Celtics jumped out to an early 14-0 lead before Miami scored any points.

The Heat started to settle in and fight back, but Boston's penchant for 3-pointers made it difficult for them to do so when the majority of Miami's shots were two-pointers.

                                                                             

The Celtics' seven 3s in the third quarter, which saw them outscore the Heat by 17, opened the floodgates with ball movement and plenty of floor spacing. Boston has made 19 3s to Miami's five through three quarters of play, a 42-point advantage. A large portion of the offense was made possible by Tatum, who allowed the Heat's zone defense to pressure him with two defenders before swiftly swiping the ball back across the floor to an open shooter. Brown scored 3s of his own, while Porzingis, Derrick White, and reserve Sam Hauser each finished with four 3s. Early in the fourth quarter, the Celtics led by as many as 34 points, and Boston supporters started waving around the arena.

The clubs' first-round series is a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference finals, which the Heat won despite being an eight-seed underdog. This is their fourth playoff encounter in five years.

For Miami, the climb would be more steeper this time. The finest winger on the club, Jimmy Butler, suffered a right MCL injury during the play-in round and will likely miss several weeks of action. In addition, Terry Rozier—who played in the regular season and averaged around 20 points per game—is out due to a neck issue. Both are severe blows to a Miami team that has occasionally had trouble scoring.

Erik Spoelstra, the coach of Miami, stated that "it's clear Boston controlled this game from the tip." "The large muscle groups went to them. I won the 3-point line without a doubt.