On Saturday evening in Miami, the Celtics had the highly-anticipated opportunity to respond to a Heat team that stole one on the road. For three days, the national discourse centered around Boston’s stunning defeat — in which a Jimmy Butler-less Heat team broke a franchise record for most three-pointers in a postseason game.
And boy, did the Celtics respond, holding Miami to 12 first-quarter points and just 39 in the first half. They maintained a double-digit lead from the first quarter on, despite shooting just 29.7% from beyond the arc.
The final 104-84 score reflected a bounce-back game for the ages.