MIAMI – The Miami Heat shot the lights out and left the Boston Celtics in the dark on Sunday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in a performance Celtics guard Jaylen Brown called “embarrassing”.
Another performance like that in Game 4 on Tuesday in Miami and the eighth-seeded Heat will advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
And they didn’t even need Jimmy Butler’s heroics this time round. Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points in Miami’s 128-102 victory over visiting Boston on Sunday.
“To their credit, they’re playing well above their means. They’re ballin’ right now, and I’ve got to give them respect. Gabe Vincent, (Caleb) Martin, (Max) Strus, Duncan Robinson, guys that we should be able to keep under control are playing their ass off,” Brown was quoted as saying by ESPN.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra added of 26-year-old Vincent: ”It’s his assertiveness, aggressiveness and reading of the game. And he has that emotional stability too.”
Vincent made 11 of 14 shots from the floor – including six of nine from three-point range – and Robinson and Martin scored 22 and 18 points off the bench, respectively.
Butler collected 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Heat, who shot a blistering 56.8 per cent from the field (46 of 81) and 54.3 per cent from three-point range (19 of 35). Miami improved to 6-0 at home in the play-offs.
“That was a solid, mature, professional approach. There is a lot of pent-up stuff here and we’re getting closer, but we still have to finish this off,” Spoelstra said.
Vincent added of the lopsided result: “I don’t know if ‘surprised’ is the word. We played well tonight. We defended. We made shots. We forced them into turnovers.”
Bam Adebayo scored 13 points and Strus added 10 as the Heat seized control of the contest by outscoring the second-seeded Celtics by a 32-17 margin in the third quarter.
“The game was as big as an ocean for everybody,” Adebayo said.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds and Brown scored 12 points, although the pair combined to make just 12 of 35 shots from the floor and one of 14 from three-point range.
“Collectively we can point fingers but, in reality, it was just embarrassing,” Brown said.
Tatum added on ESPN: “From the beginning of the game, we were turning the ball over. We didn’t shoot the ball well, they shot extremely well. It felt like we never recovered.”
The Celtics have their backs against the wall. No team in NBA history have overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a series. “I just didn’t have them ready to play. Whether it was the starting line-up or an adjustment, I have to get them in a better place to play – that’s on me,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said.
Miami’s Kevin Love scored five quick points to start the game before exiting after five minutes with an ankle injury. He did not return.
Then Hea then claimed a 61-46 lead at half-time after shooting a sizzling 57.5 per cent from the floor (23 of 40) and 45 per cent from three-point range (nine of 20). Boston whittled a 22-point deficit down to 12 at 61-49 after Marcus Smart converted a three-point play to start the third quarter. Miami answered with a 28-9 run to seize control of the game, highlighted by a pair of threes by Vincent.
The Heat carried a 93-63 lead into the fourth quarter before both teams opted to rest their stars.
Separately, 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, 38, confirmed his retirement on Monday. His last game was for the Los Angeles Lakers in April 2022. The third overall pick in the 2003 draft, he amassed 28,289 points and 22.5 points per game in 20 seasons. REUTERS, AFP
