With their backs against the wall in a way they rarely are, the Boston Celtics dug deep and found some answers. Seeking to climb out of their self-inflicted hole in the Eastern Conference Finals—and become the first team in NBA history to win a series after trailing three games to zero—they won Game Four over Miami Heat116-99, behind an impressive second-half effort.
Jason Tatum was the rising tide that lifted all ships this evening. He scored 34 points, grabbed 11 boards, and had 7 assists in 42 minutes, leading the Celtics to power their season on the streak again. Miami’s undrafted duo of unlikely champions, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin, continued to excel, tallying 33 points, but Vincent left the game with an injury in the fourth quarter, and postseason star Jimmy Butler suffered an ineffective shot on 9-of-21 on the night.
The Celtics started the game by connecting on their first four shot attempts, but the hot start soon became embroiled in familiar problems—turnovers, missed shots, sloppy defense. After taking a six-goal lead, they gave up a 14-3 Miami down to fall straight into the mud. The Heat continued to take advantage of Boston’s mistakes, as they had all series, and built up to a nine-point lead. The Celtics trailed by six heading into second, 29-23.
Late in the first quarter, Miami’s Kyle Lowry seemed to slide as he scraped the paint to meet a shot by Grant Williams. He fell to the ground and grabbed his left knee, causing him frequent trouble during the Heat. After struggling to walk during a video review – where he was called out for a common foul despite hitting Williams in the face – he remained in the game.
The second quarter brought a rare boost of momentum for Boston, on both ends of the field. From the end of the first period through the first minutes of the second, they went on a 17-5 run to take back the lead from Miami for at least a moment. The Heat responded to scoring from their two unlikely champions this postseason: Vincent and Martin. The duo totaled 25 points in the first half, and looked like they had all the counterpunching for Boston’s surge. In the end, despite the hype, the Celtics finished the second quarter the same way as the first, trailing by six points, 56-50.
Early in the third quarter, the game swung close to out of control, as the Heat regained a nine-point lead on a second chance triple by Vincent. However, Tatum was finally ready to prove himself. He connected back-to-back 3-pointers to secure the Celtics in the game, sparking an 18-5 Boston lead for the biggest Celtic lead of the night and pushing Erik Spoelstra into a timeout with less than seven minutes remaining in the quarter. It was – by far – their best extension in the series up to this point. They hung Miami’s 38 points in the frame, leading 88-79 entering the fourth quarter.
A few minutes of relief for Tatum led to only two buckets for the Heat, and they were quickly wiped out by the Celtics upon Tatum’s return to the game. Things got more complicated for Miami moments later, as Vincent appeared to rotate his ankle on an uncomfortable landing and sustain an injury. He powered his way through the ensuing possession – a Tatum three-pointer – and promptly left for the locker room after Spoelstra’s timeout.
The Celtics took a 12-4 lead in the opening minutes of the quarter, building a 17-point lead. The Heat crept their way again over the next minutes, cutting the deficit to 13, but in a crucial sequence, Adebayo deflected the ball and Brown converted it from one corner kick at the other end. This finally came as the stiletto, earning the Celtics another night of basketball.
Then, the Celtics will return home to Boston, where they will continue their quest for history in Game 5 against the Heat, this Thursday at 8:30 EST on TNT.