Game 4 takeaways: The C kept the season alive with a 116-99 win vs. the Heat appeared in the original NBC Sports Boston
MArchos Smart And Jaylen Brown I drew Kevin Millar Interiors with Their message is “Don’t let us win one.” Before Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Like Millar and the 2004 Boston Red Sox, the Celtics bounced back from a Game 3 blowout loss to avoid being swept.
After a back-and-forth first half, the C’s erupted for 38 points in the third quarter and edged Miami 66-43 in the final two frames to earn a 116-99 win. Boston shot 51.2 percent from the floor, including the best 40 percent (18-45) from 3-point range.
Jason Tatum He bounced back from a lackluster Match 3 with 34 points. Derrick White and Grant Williams stepped up to help avoid elimination with 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Jimmy Butler (29 points) and Gabe Vincent (17 points) were the top scorers for Miami. Caleb Martin continued his strong streak with 16 points off the bench.
The C’s will look to carry the momentum from their victory into Game 5 on Thursday in Boston. First, here are some quick takeaways from Tuesday’s victory.
Star Jason Tatum appears
It was another slow start for Tatum, who coughed three times in the first seven minutes of the game. But once he settled in, the Celtics pushed to win with a stellar performance.
The Heat simply didn’t have an answer for Tatum on Tuesday night. The 25-year-old converted 14 of his 22 shot attempts to finish with 34 points. He hit five of his nine three-pointers and passed Paul Pierce as the Celtics’ all-time playoff-3s leader in the process.
25 of Tatum’s 34 points came in the second half.
Tatum didn’t make a bucket in the fourth quarter in the first three games of the series, but finally ended that cold streak in Game 4. After a slow start to the frame, the C’s went on a 12-0 run after Tatum entered the game in the fourth inning for the win.
The four-time All-Star did a little bit of everything, completing his scoring record with 11 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and a steal.
They will look like them in the second half
Where were all these Celtics streaking?
That’s what the C fans wondered as they watched them take shot after shot in the second half. A great 3-point shooting team during the regular season, they finally found their groove and buried seven out of 12 3’s in the third quarter.
Boston took the game lead with an 18-0 lead in the third round. The Heat led by nine points with 10:39 left in the frame, but were ahead 36-18 going into the rest of the half.
It was a similar story in the fourth quarter. The C-players flexed their offensive muscles with shooting restricted to 35 percent in the second half.
Archers shoot
It seemed like the Heat couldn’t miss the first three games of the series while the Celtics’ regular pitchers couldn’t buy a bucket. That changed on Tuesday night and the difference was Boston winning.
I started with a seasoned old man Al Horford, who was 3-for-13 from beyond the arc in the series heading into Game 4. He broke out of the shooting slump with three seconds in the first period. It was his first three-pointer game since game three against Philadelphia.
Horford was one of five C players with at least three going into the win. Tatum (5-9), Smart (3-9), White (3-7), and Grant Williams (4-6) all made their presence from long range.
The Celtics shot 19-for-45 (42.2 percent) from 3 while the Heat shot 8-for-32 (25 percent). That was the difference between extending the series and going home for the summer.
Brogdon is Celtic who couldn’t get any further on Tuesday. Sixth Man of the Year’s woes continued as he finished 1-for-5 from the floor for just 2 points.
The poor performance was followed by a night of scoreless shooting for 6 points in Game 3. Needless to say, the Celtics will need more valuable offseason acquisition if they are to make this series interesting. If Brogdon walks out of the gate again on Thursday, don’t be surprised if Joe Mazola Payton Pritchard and/or Sam Houser give some of his minutes.
While Brogdon was struggling, Grant Williams stepped up to score off the bench. Spark Plug contributed 14 points on four three-pointers in 29 minutes.