Coming off a shocking 111-101 home loss at the hands of the Miami Heat in Game 2 , the Boston Celtics made sure that they won’t suffer the same feat in Game 3 in their first trip to South Beach in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Celtics acted and played like the No. 1 team in the East and the favorite to win the conference title in a 104-84 beatdown of Miami on Saturday.
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Jaylen Brown Shares Insight on Boston Celtics’ Mindset in Game 3 vs. the Heat
Even after their loss in Game 2, the Celtics were still widely viewed as the favorite over Miami to come away with a ticket to the second round of the playoffs, but it will still always boil down to what they do on the court that will dictate their fate. In Game 3, the Celtics dominated from start to finish, only letting the Heat outscore them in the fourth quarter when it seemed clear that Boston was going to get the victory.
“Just mindset,” Brown after the game, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “We put an emphasis on defense, trying to make them uncomfortable a little bit … and I think that opened up the game.”
Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 22 points to lead the Celtics in their bounce-back win, while also limiting the Heat to only 41.6 percent shooting from the field.
The Celtics have a chance to push Miami to the brink of elimination with another win in Game 4 that is scheduled to take place on Monday, still in the Heat’s territory.
