The Boston Celtics were heavy favorites to end the Miami Heat’s Cinderella playoff run in the Conference Finals, but Game 1 is proving why the Heat have made it those far.
After fighting back from a big deficit, the Heat took a six-point lead towards the end of the third quarter. Boston’s inability to put Miami away led to coach Joe Mazzulla getting extremely frustrated and throwing his clipboard during a timeout.
Joe Mazzulla HEATED and throws clipboard during timeout 😳 https://t.co/7SiLrS4SMb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 18, 2023
The Celtics were outscored 46 to 25 in the third quarter, which might be one of the worst single quarters that the team has had in the postseason. Their nine-point halftime lead was blown away by Miami, who are entering the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead. This matchup is going to be fascinating.
Can Miami Make History?
The Heat will become the first team in NBA history to win Game 1 in each of their series on the road, given teams don’t usually make it this far without having a homecourt advantage during the playoffs. Their run as the eighth seed is remarkable and will likely match up with the New York Knicks from 1999 that made the Finals as an eighth seed, albeit in a lockout-shortened season.
Beating the Celtics, who are the reigning Eastern Conference Champions won’t be easy. The C’s got one over Miami in the same round last season and sent them home with a Game 7 win. If there’s a team in the NBA that knows how to handle the Heat in the postseason, it is Boston.
Coach Mazzulla has had a phenomenal rookie season in charge of the Celtics, but his inexperience is being exposed by Erik Spoelstra, and the coaching battle in this series will be fascinating to watch.
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