In 2022, the Boston Celtics celebrated an Eastern Conference championship in the Miami Heat's building after winning Game 7. In 2023, the Heat exacted revenge by defeating the Celtics in Boston for the Eastern Conference crown with a decisive 103-84 Game 7 win.
The Celtics carried a lot of momentum into Monday night, as they had won three straight games and were hoping to become the first team to overcome a 3-0 playoff deficit in NBA history. The Heat have disregarded momentum all season though, as they came out ready to play and never really lost control of the contest.
While Heat leader Jimmy Butler might get a lot of the credit, Miami's role players were arguably the deciding factor in the series. Guard Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds while playing like the best guy on the court for much of Game 7. Other supporting cast members like Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson were also huge and were there when Miami needed a clutch shot.
As for the C's, the timely shots weren't there. In fact, barely any of the shots were there on Monday night. With that being said, here are three takeaways from the Boston Celtics' brutal Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat.
3. The tone wasn't set in the first quarter
After winning three straight against Miami and having the deciding Game 7 at home, the Celtics had a great opportunity to roll with their momentum. A good start in the first quarter could've got the TD Garden rocking and put heavy pressure on the Heat.
Instead, Celtics star Jayson Tatum tweaked his ankle on Boston's first possession of the game and didn't fully look like himself from that point on.
Jayson Tatum came down awkwardly on his left ankle on the first possession of Game 7 😬
He remained in the game.pic.twitter.com/LKgHLTsxqj
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 30, 2023
That injury got things off to a bad start, but the Celtics continued to do themselves no favors. They missed open shots, put up four quick turnovers and scored only 15 total points–which was tied for their lowest first-quarter output all season.
With Tatum hobbling a bit and the C's struggling, momentum was quickly lost. The Celtics still could've recovered, yet their defensive intensity from the past few games just wasn't there to keep them in it. Setting the tone for the contest with a strong first quarter could've changed the game for Boston.
2. Jaylen Brown unraveled
On a night where their main offensive option wasn't 100-percent, the C's needed someone to step up. Typically, the next man up would be two-time All-Star Jaylen Brown, but he couldn't do it in Game 7.
Brown seemed out of control most of the time on offense, as his whopping eight turnovers truly sank the Celtics. He notched 19 points but on an inefficient 8-for-23 shooting night, and his plus-minus rating of minus-17 was the second worst of any player.
The 26-year-old's shot selection was also horrid. On a few occasions, he would pull up from deep way too early in the shot clock and miss, which really hurt Boston's offensive rhythm. It seemed like he knew he had to make up for Tatum's injury, however, he was trying to do too much with the ball sometimes.
This wasn't Brown's only rough game in the series either, as he never had a signature performance against the Heat. He averaged just 19 points per game, in comparison to his 26.6 points per outing in the regular season, and never looked comfortable versus Miami's stifling defense.
In the Eastern Conference Finals:
Caleb Martin — Jaylen Brown —
19.3 PPG 19.0 PPG
6.4 RPG 6.1 RPG
60/49/88% 42/16/67% pic.twitter.com/pyTlVAovoG— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 30, 2023
1. Inconsistency killed the season
The 2022-23 season was an up-and-down one for the Celtics, and this series embodied that.
For instance, in Game 4 Boston nailed 18 triples and had just 10 turnovers. In Game 7, the Celtics had only nine triples and 15 turnovers. Although that's a small sample size, it shows how the Celtics' turned their strengths into their weaknesses and could never find consistency.
Even prior to playing the Heat, the C's struggled with inconsistency. In the first round, they'd beat up an inferior Atlanta Hawks team one night and then lose to them at home. Against Philadelphia, they'd blow a Game 1 that was gift-wrapped to them but then destroy the Sixers in Game 7. Simply put, the Celtics were frustrating all season and incapable of playing to their potential on a nightly basis.
With the NBA Finals out of reach and the offseason ahead, Boston now has some big questions to address. Do they bring back head coach Joe Mazzulla? Do they put its faith in Brown for the future? Do they pay Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard? All of these inquiries may be answered in the coming months, but what the Celtics certainly need to address is what's to blame for their frequently erratic play.
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