The Miami Heat bounced back from a blowout loss in Game 2 at home by hanging on to beat the Boston Celtics 109-103 to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami raced out to a 39-18 lead after the first quarter and survived a comeback attempt by the Celtics to reclaim home-court advantage in this series.
They also did it without Jimmy Butler who missed the entire second half with knee inflammation as Bam Adebayo took over to finish with a team-high 31 points and 10 rebounds. He had some help too, as all the Heat starters except Butler managed to hit double figures for points.
All of them contributed down the stretch as well, as Miami went on a 16-8 run after the Celtics had managed to cut the lead to a single point. NBA fans were understandably on the edge of their seat and had a lot to say about how things panned out:
What a Bam Adebayo performance. 31 points on 15/22, scoring from everywhere. I know Heat fans wish Bam could this nightly but without Butler in the second half, a still-limited Lowry, and a cold Herro, this couldn’t have come at a more perfect moment.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) May 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/HEATmuse/status/1528214688693092352
RESPONSE AFTER RESPONSE AFTER RESPONSE.
1 of the grittiest, most guts filled road playoff victory in #HEATCulture franchise history.
Bam Adebayo with an EPIC response of his own, ESPECIALLY with no Jimmy in the 2nd half.
2-1 & you GOTTA LOVE MIAMI HEAT Defense!
19 STEALS!
— Greg Sylvander (@GregSylvander) May 22, 2022
Miami’s mental and physical toughness willed them to victory tonight against Boston. After losing Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo stepped up scoring 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 22, 2022
No Jimmy Butler in the second half. No Tyler Herro down the stretch. No way the Heat should've won that game. Sheer guts. Thank you, Bam. Thank you, Victor. And you, PJ. And especially you, Kyle Lowy.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 22, 2022
"Gutsy win" is an overused cliche. That right there, though, is a gutsy win for the Heat. Caused lots of those Boston turnovers. Strus stood up well enough on defense. The Bamwagon revved back up. Made enough plays on both ends to hang on.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) May 22, 2022
Heat-Celtics Game 3 Summary: https://t.co/ia2E85fC2G
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) May 22, 2022
When people trivialize “Heat Culture” a game like this is what makes them look silly.
They were buried by most after Game 2.
This win tonight is the epitome of Miami Heat basketball.
— Jorge Sedano (@Sedano) May 22, 2022
Celtics did the reverse Paul Pierce, they made dramatic comebacks from the locker room and then shat themselves
— sreeky (@sreekyshooter) May 22, 2022
The Celtics averaged a turnover every 2 minutes and Tatum scored 10 points.
That’s the story of this game.
Anyone blaming the refs or anything else has missed the point.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) May 22, 2022
Celtics after their 22nd turnover #MIAvsBOS pic.twitter.com/PcqzEX463q
— Laurent (@Laurent_DV_) May 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/Dart_Adams/status/1528216988870488068
Had this game gift wrapped to us and still found a way to lose pic.twitter.com/p3vIRmGXqc
— D.J. ☘️ ⚡️ (@iMAJESTiC_) May 22, 2022
I love the Celtics. They’re the real deal. And Jayson Tatum is a superstar.
Tonight the Celtics as a team were horrendous. Zero energy most of the game. Sloppy and ugly. And Tatum was downright horrific. I’m disappointed.
All can be true.
— Pat Bradley ☘️🏀 (@PatBradley_) May 22, 2022
Jayson Tatum tonight pic.twitter.com/HC3tajfWfU
— PiñataFarms: Meme Maker (@pinatafarms) May 22, 2022
FAR from entirely on him, but if Jayson Tatum is even decent tonight, the #Celtics win this game going away. Collectively poor effort, though.
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) May 22, 2022
The balls on this Heat team, man. Withstood Smart return, Tatum return and a 30-12 free throw disparity on the road. Withstood Butler injury and Herro playing so poorly he was benched. Can’t believe they won that game. — Dan
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) May 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/Rybezius/status/1528212468543234049
They said Kyle Lowry wasn’t important to the Heat…
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) May 22, 2022
Jimmy Butler out for the 2nd half
Tyler Herro struggles and sits late
Bam Adebayo leads them in dominating fashion
Victor Oladipo comes up as the true X-factor
PJ Tucker imposes his defensive will
Max Strus hits in big moments
Kyle Lowry settles them throughout
What a game
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) May 22, 2022
It was a wild one to watch, and this series has tilted a little bit in favor of the Heat as we head to Game 4. The Celtics are suddenly in must-win territory after it seemed like they had wrestled control of this series after Game 2. They will need Tatum to get back on track as he really struggled here with 10 points on 3-14 shooting and it wasted a career night from Jaylen Brown who finished with a game-high 40 points.
As for the Heat, they will be ecstatic with this win, but the Butler injury would dampen their spirits a bit. If he is fine for Game 4, then they are in a great spot here, but if he misses a couple of games, then you would have to fancy the Celtics to regain control of the series. We now await with bated breath for news on the Heat superstar.
