The Boston Celtics came out firing on all cylinders in Game 4 to dominate the Miami Heat and run away with a 102-82 victory. A strong start in the first quarter allowed Ime Udoka's squad to build a massive lead right from the get-go. The Celtics never looked back for the remainder of the game and successfully tied the series at two games apiece.

 

After the huge win, the momentum is clearly on the Celtics' side. Of course, they still shouldn't be complacent, especially now that the series is heading back to Miami for Game 5. As expected, their opponent is going to be ready to bounce back from their dismal outing and put up a fight to take the upper hand in this series on their home floor.

But before that, let's take at the three wildest things that occurred in the Celtics' totally dominant Game 4 win over the Heat in Bosotn.

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3 most bonkers things from Celtics' Game 4 win

3. Only Jayson Tatum scored more than 20 points for the Celtics

With such a lopsided victory, one would normally think that multiple players were able to exceed at least 20 points during the game. As it turned out, only Jayson Tatum did so, bouncing back from his 10-point performance in Game 3. In Game 4, he led the team in scoring with 31 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 33 minutes of action.

Though no other player reached at least 20 points, multiple players still contributed with double-digit scoring outputs for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard followed Tatum with 14 points, while Derrick White produced 13 points of his own. Jaylen Brown and the returning Robert Williams contributed 12 points apiece as well.

Still, this wasn't exactly a sterling offensive performance for Boston. The Celtics shot under 40% and went just 8-of-34 from 3-point land. However, unlike last game, they actually took care of the ball this time with just 11 turnovers while riding a dominant defensive performance to the win. Boston led by as many as 32 in this one.

2. The Heat's starting five were all held to single digits in scoring

While Marcus Smart was out, this was no matter for the Celtics' ferocious defense. In Game 4, they were able to limit Jimmy Butler to only six points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. Yes, Butler was probably not at full health after leaving Game 3 early with knee inflammation. However, successfully containing the Heat star on the offensive end and forcing him to shoot 3-of-14 from the field certainly did the trick for Boston.

Despite only seeing 19 minutes, Robert Williams' return to the floor made life harder for Bam Adebayo, who was clearly bothered by the size after dominating Game 3. Adebayo only finished with nine points and six rebounds in 27 minutes. Kyle Lowry, who recently returned from injury, also had a dismal outing with just three points after going 1-of-6 from the field.

The two remaining starters in P.J Tucker and Max Strus both went scoreless in Game 4. With the game already out of reach, all five members of the starting lineup didn't see action on the floor in the fourth quarter. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the 18 points scored by the Heat's starters are the lowest in a playoff game since the stat was first tracked dating back to 1970-71. They combined to shoot a truly putrid 7-of-36 from the field and 1-of-10 from 3-point range. The starters also only took five free throws, with Bam going 3-of-5.

Adding to all this, it is also the first playoff game that the entire starting lineup was outscored by a bench player, as Victor Oladipo led the team in scoring with 23 points in Game 4.

1. Miami's horrible start in the first quarter

In Game 4, Erik Spoelstra's squad found itself in deep waters early on. The Celtics' Derrick White, who started in place of the injured Marcus Smart, took it upon himself to score eight straight unanswered points to start the game.

After successive made shots, Boston's lead quickly ballooned to 18-1 as the Heat failed to find their mark on the field by missing their first 14 shots. Miami was only able to break the dry spell with the help of a 3-pointer from Victor Oladipo with 3:22 left to play in the first quarter.

The Heat eventually shot 3-of-20 from the field as the Celtics gained a 29-11 advantage at the end of the opening frame. Armed with an insurmountable lead, Boston never took its foot off the pedal for the remainder of the game to secure a lopsided victory. Certainly enough, having a strong start similar to what the Celtics did in Game 4 will always be a huge advantage for any team that matches up against a gritty squad like the Heat.

Tatum and company will surely have to continue to come out strong in their remaining games if they want to sustain their momentum and earn two more wins to survive this series and advance in the NBA Finals.