Much can be said about the first three games of this year's Eastern Conference Finals. One inevitable fact is that the Miami Heat hold a 3-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics.
The Heat dominated in Game 3 to take a commanding lead in the series. They led by as many as 33 and made things look easy from start to finish.
Miami had a lot of unsung heroes, including Gabe Vincent who scored a game-high 29 points. The Celtics were no match for them, and they know who they have to stop and need to change.
“To their credit, they're playing well above their means,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said. “They're ballin' right now, and I've got to give them respect. Gabe Vincent, Martin, [Max] Strus, Duncan Robinson, guys that we should be able to keep under control are playing their ass off.”
Vincent and Max Strus were in the starting lineup but both are names that you wouldn’t expect would have a significant impact on a meaningful playoff game. The Heat bench outscored the Celtics starters 55-51. Duncan Robinson (22 points) and Caleb Martin (18 points) both scored more than every Celtics starter.
Brown finished with 12 points, missing all seven of the three-point shots he attempted. He is 2-for-20 from beyond the arc against the Heat. The Celtics shot 26 percent from deep, while the Heat made nearly 57 percent of their shot attempts.
The Celtics and Jaylen Brown will try to pull off a miraculous comeback and that starts with a Game 4 win on Tuesday. Miami has played as more of a team than Boston. The Celtics need to find a way to balance it out.
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