The Boston Celtics passed their first test. After resting their starters the last two games of the regular season, the Celtics came out swinging in Game 1 of their playoff meeting with the Miami Heat on Sunday, April 21. A 14-point favorite, the top-seeded Celtics cruised to a 114-94 victory.
The game certainly had the playoff atmosphere at Boston’s TD Garden. Miami’s Caleb Martin had what many have labeled a “dirty” foul on Celtics star Jayson Tatum. After the game, Heat center Bam Adebayo got a bit delusional with his comments. It was a hard-nosed battle between the top-seeded Celtics and the No. 8 Heat, the team that prevented the Celtics from a second straight trip to the NBA Finals a year ago.
The Boston Celtics Handled Caleb Martin’s Hard Foul the Right Way
“S*** going to happen. Not the last time I’m probably going to get hit like that or fouled in this series.”
Jayson Tatum talks about Caleb Martin foul
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The Heat are a desperate team. They’re playing without their best player after Jimmy Butler suffered an MCL injury during a play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers. With far less talent than the Celtics, the Heat may resort to some extra-curricular activity, something that Caleb Martin may have done in Game 1.
Martin undercut Tatum as the Celtics star went for a rebound, sending Tatum to the floor late in the game. Jaylen Brown had words with Martin as Tatum headed toward the free-throw line to take care of his own business.
“I feel fine,” Tatum told reporters after the game. “I went to go get the rebound, got knocked out of there, fell. Then I got right back up and went to shoot some free throws.
“It’s playoff basketball, right?. It’s a physical game, playing against a physical team. (expletive)’s going to happen.
“It’s not the last time my body will get hit like that or fouled in this series. So, I wasn’t hurt. You get hit like that, you just get up, and I knew we were in the bonus. So I knocked the free throw down.”
No retaliation by Tatum. Tatum’s teammate stuck up for him. It was well done by the unfazed Celtics, who know they can’t stoop to the level of the Heat.
Bam Adebayo Got Delusional After the Loss to the Celtics
The Celtics dominated from the start. They sent a message from the opening tap that the road to the 2024 NBA Finals goes through Boston. The Celtics led 60-45 at halftime and then outscored the Heat 31-14 in the third quarter to take a 91-59 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Heat outscored Boston 35-23 in the final 12 minutes, and that seemingly led to Adebayo’s wild comment after the game.
“I feel like it’s a different ballgame if they don’t get off to a hot start at the beginning,” Adebayo said postgame.
The hot start was a 14-0 run to begin the game. While the Celtics came storming out of the gates, the Heat bounced back nicely at the end of the quarter to score the final seven points and cut the deficit to 26-21.
It wasn’t the start that was the difference in the game. It was complete domination from beginning to end by a hungry and far-superior Celtics team eager to raise Banner 18.
The Celtics had four starters score at least 17 points in another well-balanced effort. The Heat had one player finish with more than 17 points.
