The Celtics came up with a huge win over the Heat to tie the series at 2-2. There is a time and a place for it.
When things have gone poorly for the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, it has been when they have lost focus and allowed Miami to speed them up and turn them over, leading to fast-break points.
The formula Miami used to win in the first two games was the same one it used to win in the third game. Heading into Game 4, Boston knew it had to avoid falling into the same bad habits if it wanted to even the series at two wins apiece.
The mission was accomplished.
The Celtics dominated from start to finish on Monday night. Boston scored the first eight points and never looked back, cruising to a wire-to-wire 102-82 victory in front of a sellout crowd at the Garden to send the series back to Miami for Game 5 on Wednesday.
When asked about Boston's mindset entering Game 4 he said, "Urgency." The start of the game was better than the last one. That is something that we talked about and something that we executed tonight.
In a series that has seen each game swing wildly from one direction to the other, it took about 10 seconds to realize that Game 4 would follow a similar pattern. Boston immediately jumped out to an 8-0 lead before Miami scored a single point; and the Celtics eventually took an 18-1 lead before the Heat finally made their first field goal with 3:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Miami missed its first 14 shots of the game, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Boston smothered Miami's starters into an abysmal combined 7 for 36 shooting performance, including going 1-for-10 from 3-point range, as the Heat never got out of first gear.
Boston has dominated the playoffs so far, and in a way, it has been demonstrated by the fact that Tatum has scored 32.6 points per game after a loss.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka said the focus was great for everyone.
Nobody scored in double figures with their starters. I think we set the tone. We have a prideful team, one of the best defensive teams in the league as well as individuals, and they heard some of the things that were said and took pride in those battles.
Jimmy was having a rough night. After sitting out the second half of Game 3, which he did not play in because of a strained groin, he looked off again, going 3-for-14 in 27 minutes.
In Game 4, the man who went from scoring 16 points in the first two games to 31 in the third disappeared, taking just five field goal attempts and recording nine points.
Celtics center Robert Williams, who returned after missing Game 3 with knee soreness, said in explaining what changed defensively for Boston from Game 3 to 4.
The loss was a big part of the energy going into the game.
The Celtics played like a desperate team from the start, and they were able to improve to a perfect 5 after losing in the playoffs. White scored five points on Boston's first two possessions and hit the team's first three shots, while Horford stripped Adebayo on the opening.
After stumbling through the first 12 minutes of Game 3, falling behind 39-18 and being left with a hole that proved too big for them to dig themselves out of, this time it was the Celtics who opened up the 29-11 lead.
Unlike in Game 3, the Celtics remained in control until the final buzzer, and Miami had no chance of making things competitive.
It was nice, especially since we were winning, and I spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench watching Boston's reserves close things out.
The focus for the Celtics is to try to bring the same sense of urgency that fueled them in Game 4 -- and after each of their losses in these playoffs, all of which have been followed by wins -- to Game 5. Boston has not handled prosperity well against either Milwaukee or the Heat.
In order to advance to the NBA Finals, the Celtics will have to win another game in Miami, and they know that keeping that same focus they had in Game 4 will be the thing that determines whether they can do so.
It's kind of like a new series, best of three, and I think having a conversation that I think human nature plays a part in, when you win a game, can relax a little bit. When we lose a game, we feel like the next game is do or die, and then we come out and play like we did and things like that.
I think we need to have that mindset going into Game 5 that it is a must-win game, because tonight was essentially that. Everyone knew it. We could all feel it. I think that showed in the way we came out.
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