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Fourth Quarter Predictions Start: 10:40 p.m.
Which one: Celtics by 6.
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Thurston: Heat cover.
Finnish: Celts 8. But if it’s a game that comes down to the final possession … haha.
End of the third quarter: Celtics 82, Heat 75 – 22:37
Finnish: The Celtics will need Horford or Grant Williams to score a 3 at some point.
Which one: Marcus Smart’s bad shot followed by another foul by Victor Oladipo. Why not pass the ball to Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo when you can try a 35 foot yourself?
Why the heat is still there – 22:33
Which one: Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are doing their part. The duo is a combined 20 of 32 from the field for 50 points. The rest of the Heat are 4 out of 21 for 17 points.
Finnish: Jaylen has been great when in attack mode tonight. He has made 6 of his 8 2-point attempts and 6 free throws, but only 1 of 5 of 3. He leads the Celtics with 21 points.
McInerney: An interesting statistic from ESPN statistics and information: The Heat are 13-4 this season when Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo score 20 or more in the same game. (Butler is 29, Adebayo 21 at the end of the third quarter).
Which one: Another mini swing: The Heat forced a close-range shot clock violation, but the referees considered Grant Williams’ last second to be good. Instead of being below 8 with the ball, the Heat still belonged to 10.
Tatum can get it up and running, but it should happen soon: at 10:27 p.m.
Finnish: Tatum is now 6 of 17 after missing a couple of possible shots from close range, and a 7-0 Heat cuts the Celtics ’lead to 7. I’m sorry he’ll get it up and running, but it has to happen soon.
Which one: The Celtics will be in the bonus for the final 4:42 of the third quarter. This should help them maintain their cushion.
Score update: 17:16, third quarter – 22:23
Celtics 72, Heat 65
Which one: Ha, the heat started reading the blog. Seven point game now.
Is this over? Hmm … – 22:21
Celtics 72, Heat 58
Thurston: Good things happen when you take it to the basket; it opens everything up. Be aggressive. Solid response.
Which one: I’m debating whether I should declare this game over. There are still more than six minutes left in the third quarter, but I think the Heat missed the opportunity to make it a game. They managed to get into the break in just six, so I thought they would open the third quarter by taking over. The Celtics, on the other hand, beat them 17-9.
Finnish: As I said, Marcus Smart reminds me of vintage Ray Allen. He is now 7 of 12 on the field and 3 of 6 of 3.
If you declare that this game is over, I go to Miami to shake your head in disapproval when you declare that this game is over. You know what this team does, for better or for worse.
Which one: Hit.
Score update: 19:40, third quarter – 22:16
Celtics 67, Heat 56
Which one: They just retroactively pulled out a Max Strus three because it was off limits.
Finnish: Something that suggests that Rob’s knee is not right: he is missing a short distance.
I don’t like to draw points retroactively. And the replay they showed on TV did not confirm that it was out.
Rob Williams starts the third quarter: 22:08
Which one: Robert Williams is on track to start the second half. For the past two games, Williams has taken an overtime in the locker room to stretch. I wonder if the change speaks to the magnitude of the game or an improvement in Rob’s condition. Can I imagine the first one?
What the Celtics need to change to get into the second half: 22:02
Which one: It’s time to dump her and move on.
It should come as no surprise that Jimmy Butler played 24 minutes into the game. He made 8 of his 11 field goals for 24 points, but missed four free throws. I hope he also plays every minute of the second half, so we’ll see if the fatigue ends up hitting him.
Finnish: I almost don’t want them to dispute their shots. He is a mediocre shooter, but with an extraordinary ability to draw contact whenever he wants. My strategy is stupid, of course, but how frustrated it can make you.
The Celtics have 24 minutes to prove that all these lessons we believe they have learned since January are real.
Statistics check – 21:56
Tatum: 13 points, 5-13 FG, 3-6 3PT, 7 rebounds
Brown: 15 points, 5-11 FG, 1-5 3PT, 5 rebounds
Butler: 24 points, 8-11 FG, 1-2 3PT
Abedayo: 11 points, 5-10 FG
Halfway through: Celtics 55, Heat 49 – 9:50 p.m.
Which one: The Heat finished the second quarter with a 10-2 run, culminating in a disastrous end in the half for the Celtics. Miami is down just six now. The third quarter has been a problem for the Celtics, but they will have to set the tone soon. I guess Ime Udoka isn’t happy in the locker room right now.
Finnish: Just a stupid second quarter for the Celtics. Satisfying triples, too many fouls. They have climbed 6, but it should be double.
Ime needs to talk to Smart about his selection of shots. You are a shipowner. Be one.
Thurston: The Celtics had a chance to really eliminate him: they completely escaped his offense and took it to the basket. And what about Butler at the other end? They have to make others win them.
Metal pedal – 21:47
Which one: The Celtics are doing a good job of maintaining their lead as long as the Heat seem to be able to pull off a single digit. The Heat, meanwhile, are doing a good job and are looking forward to the Celtics not being able to retire by 20 or more. I’ll repeat: the Celtics have to keep their feet on the gas. Otherwise, the heat will be ready to capitalize.
Finnish: Remember when the Celtics took the lead? Five of his last six shooting attempts have been 3.
Which one: At Horford, Grant Williams and Derrick White have three fouls. It’s worth watching how quickly they got to fourth in the second half.
You can’t let Jimmy Butler do it: 9:45 p.m.
Hey, just let Jimmy Butler sign up for an open 3. BOS leads up to 9 #Celtics #Heat
– gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) May 30, 2022
The Celtics have had a lot of chances to go up 18-20 and instead they are new.
– Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) May 30, 2022
And a good sign for the Celtics: 21:42
Which one: Jimmy Butler misses the two free throws on the line, a rare sight and probably a sign of his fatigue. This is good for the Celtics.
Finnish: Interesting Heat lineup, with Oladipo, Lowry and Strus with Butler and Bam.
Thurston: Butler solo keeping the Heat in it, 21 of the 38 on the team and aggressively attacking the basket. Let’s see how Ime fits this in half.
Good day to Js so far – 21:38
Finnish: I may be sorry I said that, but neither Tatum nor Brown have a turnover so far. (At least according to the NBA.com scoreboard) TEAM. .
Which one: The fact that Tatum is playing a balanced game while shooting poorly is a positive development.
Score update: 17:18, second quarter – 21:35
Celtics 45, Heat 32
Which one: Good response from Tatum there. With the crowd standing up, cheering hard after the Heat cut Boston’s lead to a single digit, he headed for the edge and scored a free kick. Too bad he missed the free kick and was unable to complete the And-1.
Mini swing there: Gabe Vincent punched a three on the right when the pitch clock ran out, but the referees whistled that he didn’t get it out in time. Then, at the other end, Jayson Tatum found a Marcus Smart wide open for an easy float. 45-32 Celtics instead of 42-35.
Where is Rob Williams? – 9:32 p.m.
Finnish: Do you know who has been invisible so far? Rob Williams. Wrong solo shot, 2 rebounds, no blocks and a poor free kick that gave Butler an i-1 in over 9 minutes.
Which one: I think Rob’s knee is still bothering him a lot. It’s had an impact on the Celtics, even while he was injured, so I’m not wondering why they make him active, but I’m a little worried about the long-term implications. Rob no longer has the best injury history.
Finnish: It’s a very good point. I’m still worried that having the operation that brought him back soon will be something he will regret later. Of course, if they keep winning …
Score update: 19:21, second quarter – 21:28
Celtics 39, Heat 27
Thurston: Nicole mentioned that the Celtics need to keep their foot in the gas. She is right: they are letting the heat hold.
Which one: Kyle Lowry didn’t look like he was confident as he stepped up, and produced a badly struck penalty – right into the arms of Erik Spoelstra. Lowry, still struggling with his persistent hamstring injury, was horrible in Games 4 and 5, but returned closer to his peak in Game 6.
Finnish: The Celtics settle for 3 mediocre. Even what Jaylen did a few minutes ago to make it 37-22 was not a great idea.
Which one: Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are 9 of 15 combined on the field (60 percent) by 22 points. The rest of the Heat are 1 in 13. That won’t cut it, especially when Miami has already dropped 12.
Finnish: I would watch an alternate show where only Ime inspired and cursed his team alternately.
Grant has three fouls: 21:25
Which one: Grant Williams just received his third personal foul with 9:06 for the end of the second quarter, and Miami will be on the bonus for the rest of the quarter. The Heat did not make their free throws (5 of 9), but reaching the line …