The Boston Celtics were overwhelming favorites heading into Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. However, that doesn't mean they can overcome a record-breaking shooting night from their Eastern Conference rivals.
During the Heat's 111-101 victory in Beantown on Wednesday evening, they set a new franchise record for 3-pointers made in a playoff game with a whopping 23 triples. Ironically, the C's tied a franchise record in Game 1 with 22 triples of their own.
Both of these hot-shooting performances led to wins for the respective rivals, resulting in a 1-1 series that's headed back to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday.
What Jaylen Brown had to say about the Heat's record-breaking Game 2
Following Boston's disappointing defeat at TD Garden, Celtics star Jaylen Brown had to give the Heat props.
“I tip my hat off to the Heat. They shot the ball incredibly well,” he admitted. “They put up more 3-point attempts than we did tonight. They played with pace. They played faster, that was their response. They were able to get some good looks and knocked a lot of them down, which was tough.”
In the regular season, the Heat weren't anything special when it comes to 3-point shooting. They averaged 12.5 makes a night from beyond the arc and shot 37% as a team. That's a decent rate, but still not top-10 in the NBA.
Regardless of previous statistics, Brown knows the Heat are always going to pose a threat.
“I think they’re well-coached and I think that’s a credit to their coaching staff and organization,” Brown added. “They put together a good game plan and they come out feeling confident and they come out and execute. I think that’s what they do. And tonight was an example of that. I just thought they made a lot of shots that we’re normally comfortable with, but it’s the playoffs. It is what it is, so we gotta adjust and play ball. So we gotta respond.”
The Celtics are typically the team dominating the 3-point margin and punishing their opponents on the perimeter. But, in Game 2, they shot 32.4% from 3-point land while going 12-for-37 collectively. Meanwhile, the Heat had 13 triples in the first half alone despite only hitting 12 total in Game 1.
Brown thought his team did an adequate job of contesting, yet even he acknowledged that the Green Team didn't do enough to slow down Miami's offense.
“They played with pace. And they were, you know, making shots,” he stated. “Guys that we want shooting the ball was hitting them. We simply couldn’t get them to miss. We thought they were decent closeouts but credit to those guys. They came out and they play fast and they play hard and had a record-breaking night.”
Although the Celtics are the No. 1 seed and one of the most talented teams in the league, the undermanned Heat aren't going to give up. It's worth remembering last season, as Miami went from barely escaping the Play-In Tournament to competing in the 2023 NBA Finals.
Jaylen Brown and company will now have to shake off the tough loss and prepare for Game 3 on the road.
“Every game is a new game. And that’s all we can afford to think about,” Brown said. “And that’s my thought process for Game 3: Games 1 and 2 are over now.”
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