Celtics

Got a prediction for how the next three games play out? Jimmy the Greek couldn't handicap this. The weather is more predictable. In Game 1, Miami, behind a 39– ...

In Game 5, the Celtics were more careful. Robert Williams limped off the floor in the third quarter. In Game 4, Boston kicked the ball around. They committed three turnovers in the first half. That’s the lowest output by any team in a playoff game in the last quarter century. The Heat finished the game shooting 33.3% from the floor and 38.9% from three. He chipped in a steal. He had three points in Game 1, a monster performance when compared to the goose egg he put up in 14 minutes in Game 2. He scored 105 points in three games after losses to Milwaukee last round. In Game 2, Boston led by as many as 34 before settling for a 25-point win. He took a charge. In Game 1, Miami, behind a 39–14 third quarter, won by 11.

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have a lot of key players on their injury reports for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? On Sunday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ends their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. Last season, they won the NBA Championship, and they will now enter an offseason where they can look to improve the roster to get back to the NBA Finals.CLICK HERE. They had beat the Celtics in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and the Boston Celtics took their turn pounding the Miami Heat early, jumping out to a 26-4 lead and cruising to a 102-82 ...

Starting in place of Smart, White scored the game's first seven points as Boston took an 8-0 lead. Victor Oladipo led the Heat with 23 points. Miami missed 15 of its first 16 shots in the second straight game that was all but over after 12 minutes.

The Miami Heat made a statement on the road in Game 3, seizing the advantage in the series, but the Boston Celtics responded in style.

The scores and that kind of thing doesn't really give the true indication of how competitive it is. We just weren't getting the kind of purposeful execution that you need to on the road and then they were able to kind of get some relief points from that and get to the free-throw line. They jumped out to that lead and that was the story for the rest of the game."

Du côté du Heat, Victor Oladipo a réussi 30 points dans la défaite. Rares sont les membres des visiteurs qui ont connu un bon match. Des cinq joueurs partants, ...

Du côté du Heat, Victor Oladipo a réussi 30 points dans la défaite. Rares sont les membres des visiteurs qui ont connu un bon match. Ils ont même augmenté cette avance à 32 points à un certain point au troisième quart. Dans le duel du jour, les Celtics se sont montrés sans pitié pour leurs rivaux, et ce, dès les premières minutes du match, s’emparant entre autres d’une avance de 22 points avant la fin du premier quart.

The starting five of the Miami Heat had an historically abysmal performance in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Over 66 games in the regular season, Herro averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game, but started only 10 games. Miami was missing a key role player of its own in sixth man Tyler Herro, however. Oladipo was the only Miami player to play 30 minutes in the game.

The Celtics shook off their ailments and a disappointing home loss from over the weekend to drill the Heat, 102-82 in a game that was never close to even ...

The Celtics were up 57-33 at halftime and had pushed it to a 32-point advantage with 7:26 still left in the third quarter. He missed the second half of Game 3 with right knee irritation and was moving slowly in Game 4. He scored 70 points in the first two games of this series but his lingering knee trouble has slowed him significantly. "He's a winning player. "To hold guys, nobody scored in double figures with their starters, I think we obviously set the tone right there," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. "He's a winning player. The Heat's starting five combined for 18 points — the lowest total in a playoff game since the NBA started keeping track in 1971. This was a lopsided affair from the start. "I think we have to have that mindset going into Game 5 that it is a must-win game. Robert Williams returned after missing Game 3 with knee soreness and gave the Celtics 12 points and nine boards. "No excuse for how I played tonight," Butler said of his ailing knee. It’s been a busy Eastern Conference finals for injuries and blowouts.

Marcus Smart will miss his second game in the Eastern Conference finals, this time because of an ankle sprain suffered Saturday.

As he did in Game 1, Derrick White is expected to start in Smart's place. Smart had to be carried into the locker room, but he returned to the court and finished the game in almost no time. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart will miss his second game in the Eastern Conference finals, this time because of an ankle sprain suffered Saturday, the team confirmed.

The NBA Eastern Conference finals resume Monday with Game 4 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The Heat defeated the Celtics 109-103 in ...

He had a great stop on Butler backing him down to end the quarter and has been everything Boston needed with Marcus Smart down tonight. He’s not alone, of course, as Miami is 6-of-25. Yes, they needed every one of his 18 first-half points, and he’s 5-of-7 shooting. Not only has that allowed them to snag offensive boards on misses, but it's pinned Miami’s back line under the hoop on their perimeter drives. Miami’s defensive strategy — zone or no zone — is designed to conceal a soft underbelly at the rim. They protect the hoop by flooding the free-throw line extended, then use their speed to fly out to shooters. Great block there by Robert Williams, but he winced a bit afterward. May 24, 2022 at 2:12 AM UTC May 24, 2022 at 2:18 AM UTC May 24, 2022 at 2:24 AM UTC LeBron James’ individual dominance really kept most of the eight (!) straight conference finals his teams in Miami and Cleveland made between 2011 and 2018 from being all that competitive. Tatum finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 8-of-16 shooting from the field.

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are facing off for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and many players are still on the injury report for the game.

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? On Sunday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ends their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. The Heat won the first game of the series, but they got absolutely blown out in Game 2 by the Celtics. The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are once again back in Massachusetts to take on the Celtics for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and for the game there are still many players on the injury report for each team.

The Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference final has been a back-and-forth series with neither team able to win consecutive games.

But even in victory, the Celtics still had a weird game. "Sometimes when you have two really competitive teams, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a one-point game," Spoelstra said. In Game 4, the roles reversed. The conference finals in different ways have been duds. "Outside of these crazy runs, you have two really competitive teams," he said. Boston was up 34 in Game 2.

BOSTON — In a day, in a week or however far into the future when people look back at Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, the absurd and historic will ...

It was a physical, aggressive defense, attacking on offense, and not waiting for us to get down to kind of muster up that energy.” We’ll take this hit and we’ll get back to Miami and get ready for Game 5.” “The toughest part was that he was able to get into gaps, get angles and draw fouls,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. The Celtics can’t count on going to the line 24 more times than Heat and they certainly can’t rely on Jimmy Butler, Adebayo, Strus and Tucker to all lay a collective egg again. Things are going to change from one game to the next. He was what the Celtics needed him to be.

Sure, Miami missed some looks it normally makes, but Boston's defensive masterpiece was the story of the night. A pivotal Game 5 is tomorrow night back in Miami ...

It's a fresh start under Mike McDaniel. The pass-catchers will get a ton of YAC. The offensive line is much improved. With OTAs upon us, it's time to identify some breakout candidates for the 2022 NFL season. They will run the ball. General manager Calvin Booth is expected to take over Connelly's position in the Mile High City. The 18 points by starters are fewest in a playoff game since starters began being tracked in the 1970-71 season. The money being given to Connelly says as much. And that's where, in retrospect, things never fully materialized for Real Madrid. Mbappé and his family never signed an official document or contract with Real Madrid. They only held negotiations for a contract discussed verbally. But to lose in four games to an in-state rival with your best players silenced is never a good feeling. They scored three goals total in this four-game series. The Lightning are eight wins away from changing that. But a start like the Celtics had last night certainly helps a lot. The Heat's first field goal came with just over three minutes left in the first quarter.

Du côté du Heat, Victor Oladipo a réussi 30 points dans la défaite. Rares sont les membres des visiteurs qui ont connu un bon match. Des cinq joueurs partants, ...

Du côté du Heat, Victor Oladipo a réussi 30 points dans la défaite. Rares sont les membres des visiteurs qui ont connu un bon match. Ils ont même augmenté cette avance à 32 points à un certain point au troisième quart. Dans le duel du jour, les Celtics se sont montrés sans pitié pour leurs rivaux, et ce, dès les premières minutes du match, s’emparant entre autres d’une avance de 22 points avant la fin du premier quart.

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and the Boston Celtics took their turn pounding the Miami Heat early, jumping out to a 26-4 lead and cruising to a 102-82 ...

Celtics: Outrebounded Miami 20-8 in the first quarter. Starting in place of Smart, White scored the game's first seven points as Boston took an 8-0 lead. Each game in this series has featured a lead of at least 20 points, and none has been close down the stretch. The Heat didn’t get their first points until Adebayo’s free throw at the 7:56 mark. Victor Oladipo led the Heat with 23 points. “Guys being out, guys playing half, guys playing 20 minutes in the game, just depends. Heat: Shot 33% (30 of 90). ... Finished with 64 bench points. It quickly grew to 18-1, with Miami misfiring on its first 14 shots. They all sat out the fourth quarter. Can’t always just flip the mindset when we come off a loss and get a little desperate.” “Just got to muster that same energy when we came off a win as well as a loss,” Udoka said. Miami missed 15 of its first 16 shots as this bizarre series produced another game that was all but over after 12 minutes.

The wild swings continue as Boston never trails and leads by as many as 32 to smash Miami and knot the series at 2-2.

White got tossed into the deep end of the pool Monday, having to fill in for the injured Smart (ankle). All he did was come out on blast, scoring Boston’s first seven points in a start that eventually ballooned to 18-1. You kind of just learn it on the fly, try not to step on any toes, which kind of sets you back personally.” There are moments in the second half when Boston’s big lead ebbed and flowed when veteran big man Al Horford seemed to be stabilizing the whole arena. Horford refused to let that happen by leading the way in two huge areas: rebounding and defense. As a team, Boston out-rebounded the Heat 60-39 and had 11 blocks to the other guys’ two. “So I just try to let him know we’re thankful for him. That meant upheaval and pressure to live up to that hefty price tag. “Just letting him know that he can be comfortable with us,” center Robert Williams III said. Said Spoestra: “You know, sometimes when you have two really competitive teams, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a one-point game. “What you’re looking at is a great series,” he said. Which only shows the folly of counting quarters. Yet it still won the game by 20.

For the Celtics to return home a win away from reaching the NBA Finals, they'll have to play with the same edge they had in a must-win Game 4.

We shouldn't have to get punched in the mouth to respond." The Heat played like a team that already got what it came for, but Boston couldn't allow that to influence them. Game 4's win was the latest example of that. We need to work on being better in that aspect. It required refocusing, which for Tatum meant bouncing back from arguably the worst showing of his playoff career. That was also true on Monday, where it's safe to say Boston's season was on the line.

Game 5 is Wednesday in Miami. Payton Pritchard had 14 points for the Celtics. Derrick White added 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Robert Williams ...

Celtics: Outrebounded Miami 20-8 in the first quarter. Starting in place of Smart, White scored the game's first seven points as Boston took an 8-0 lead. The Heat didn’t get their first points until Adebayo’s free throw at the 7:56 mark. Each game in this series has featured a lead of at least 20 points, and none has been close down the stretch. Victor Oladipo led the Heat with 23 points. Heat: Shot 33% (30 of 90). ... Finished with 64 bench points. “Guys being out, guys playing half, guys playing 20 minutes in the game, just depends. It quickly grew to 18-1, with Miami misfiring on its first 14 shots. They all sat out the fourth quarter. Can’t always just flip the mindset when we come off a loss and get a little desperate.” “Just got to muster that same energy when we came off a win as well as a loss,” Udoka said. Miami missed 15 of its first 16 shots as this bizarre series produced another game that was all but over after 12 minutes.

The Boston Celtics bounced back in a huge way as they pounded the Miami Heat in Game 4 to set up a pivotal Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Heading into a pivotal Game 5, there is plenty on the line for both teams. The Celtics cruised to a 20-point victory to tie the Eastern Conference Finals at 2-2. For the Celtics, some of that same narrative could follow should they lose to the Heat. This Boston core has gotten close time and time again.

Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Robert Williams swarmed Miami's Bam Adebayo and took the ball away in the third quarter on Monday. By Chad Finn, The Boston Globe.

Here’s to good health the rest of the way. On offense, Williams did stay relatively earthbound by his usual soaring standards. And so what a relief it was that he not only gave it a go on the aching knee, but was his usual active, often electrifying self as the Celtics seized early control and refused to let up. The word that Williams, who missed Game 3 with knee soreness and had meniscus surgery in late March, would play seemed essential to the Celtics’ chances, even more than having floor-leader and defensive menace Smart out there. It was impressive stuff for a 36-year-old carrying a heavy workload this postseason. Horford also contributed his usual array of intangibles.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 102-82 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday to even up this series at 2-2 heading back to Miami ...

In their two losses in Games 2 and 4, the Heat have averaged just 35.0 points in the paint and have averaged 18.0 free-throw attempts per game. Coming out hot and starting strong has opened up these massive leads in this series and if either side can get going from deep early on in Game 5 on Wednesday, then we could be in store for yet another blowout victory. Maybe injuries have a lot to do with this, but just look at the trends so far. Defensively, Boston was locked in for this game and as they continued to get stops on defense, their offense began to click. Heading into Game 4 on Monday, the Heat led this series 2-1 after beating the Celtics in Game 3 by six points. Scoring 31 points on 8-16 shooting, Jayson Tatum looked like his All-Star self after a poor 10-point performance in Game 3.

The strange, back-and-forth Eastern Conference finals continued on Monday night as the Boston Celtics crushed the Miami Heat in Game 4, 102-82, in a game ...

The Celtics' defense was incredible at times, and played a big role in the Heat's struggles. Aside from making a few more shots, the big difference was that Tatum was more under control and the Celtics put him in better situations to succeed. With the series now tied at 2-2, action will shift back to Miami for a pivotal Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Led by superfan Damien Harris, several New England football players were in TD Garden Monday night to watch basketball.

Harris suddenly has a lot of company as Boston anxiously anticipates the Celtics' 18th championship banner. Harris has embraced Boston sports culture since arriving in 2019. Or the arrival of rookie running backs Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, who'll also want the football.

“Sometimes when you have two really competitive teams, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a one-point game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It means ...

We shouldn’t have to get punched in the mouth to respond.” The Heat said they were embarrassed on their home court, and Game 3 was payback; they zoomed out to a 26-point lead, first-half lead. The Celtics led by 13 points early before Miami outscored them 39-14 in the third quarter to take took the lead for good. The Celtics led by as many as 32 in the third quarter — a big gap, even for a series that has been full of them. “I think human nature plays a part in, when you win a game, you can relax a little bit,” said Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who had 31 points in Game 4 after scoring 10 on 3-for-14 shooting the previous game. But the individual games have been anything but.

For Boston sports fans of a certain age, the Celtics single-handedly absolved the Red Sox, Bruins, and Patriots of their sins. The Sox hadn't won in nearly a ...

They should do it for the Cooz, who's still sharp as a tack at age 93, defending his era's honor against the insolent likes of J.J. Redick. They should do it for Russell, the greatest champion in the history of team sports. The Lakers, meanwhile, are in crisis. Behind the league's most stifling defense and a three-point bombing offense, the Celtics simply flattened their competition. We could legitimately be looking at the birth of the NBA's next mini-dynasty that should once again make Boston a destination. And once they get there, they'll need only four wins to restore the franchise to its rightful place atop the all-time NBA hierarchy, dropping the Lakers back to second, where we can all agree they belong. Instead, the Suns bounced them in the first round. When the Celtics imploded in the 2020 bubble vs. Kyrie Irving's departure had doomed the organization to middle-class mediocrity, despite the presence of potential superstar Jayson Tatum. What franchise can lose Irving, Al Horford, Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier in rapid succession, replace them with a broken-down Kemba Walker, and recover? For Boston sports fans of a certain age, the Celtics single-handedly absolved the Red Sox, Bruins, and Patriots of their sins. The Celtics always stood in their way, and we loved it. When Bird raised their 16th banner in 1986, the Lakers ranked a distant second with nine. LeBron and AD weren't going anywhere and the Lakers opened 2021 as favorites to repeat.

Our Chris Forsberg has been a resident of Time Lord island for some time now and after watching his impact on Game 4, Robert Williams' health and ...

“It's just swelling a little bit, stiffening up on me a little,” Williams said of the knee. Williams missed four weeks and the start of the postseason after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus. While all of Boston’s defenders went up a level, it’s hard not to notice the difference with Williams on the floor. Neither the Bucks nor the Heat were able to score on Boston’s set defense with any regularity. Even with Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart sidelined by an ankle injury, Boston’s four remaining starters -- along with Derrick White -- ratcheted up their intensity while limiting the Miami Heat to just a single point over the first 8:38 of Monday’s Game 4 en route to a breezy 102-82 win that evened this Eastern Conference finals series at two games apiece. The Heat posted an impossibly low offensive rating of 65.7 in all halfcourt sets during Game 4.

The Boston Celtics forward has shown impressive resiliency during the 2022 NBA playoffs by giving his team excellent performances after a loss.

The next challenge for Tatum and the Celtics is winning Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. Tatum didn't shoot well from 3-point range (1-of-7) but he made 14 of his 16 free throw attempts and was aggressive in driving to the basket. The Celtics have suffered five defeats in the postseason so far, and they have bounced back with a win every time.

ESPN's Nick Friedell joins Chris Forsberg to discuss how the Heat will respond to the Celtics blowing them out in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

They believe it, but can it actually happen in Miami on Wednesday night?" "He said after the game, 'I'm good, it wasn't an excuse, I'm not worried about it.' Historically when Jimmy says he's not worried about something, that means it's on his mind a little bit," Friedell said. ESPN's Nick Friedell joined Chris Forsberg on a new episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast to share his thoughts. Butler was a non-factor in Miami's Game 4 defeat. "When you get your ass kicked that bad, I think that is a pretty solid response to have. The series now heads back to Miami tied 2-2.