National Basketball Association

White-hot Heat thrash lifeless Celtics, take 3-0 lead in ECF

Updated May. 21, 2023 11:05 p.m. ET

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Yaron Weitzman

FOX Sports NBA Writer

On Sunday night, two NBA teams entered whatever we’re calling Miami’s basketball arena these days. 

But only one showed up. 

The Miami Heat pummel the Boston Celtics, 128-102, giving them a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Miami. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 playoff deficit.  

This was a team effort from the Heat, and they were able to dominate the Celtics despite a rare inefficient night from Jimmy Butler (16 points on 5-for-13 shooting, with eight rebounds and six assists). Gabe Vincent led the way with 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting, while drilling six of his nine looks from deep. 

The Celtics, meanwhile, got nothing from their stars. Jayson Tatum finished with 14 points on 6-for-18 shooting, while Jaylen Brown went 6-for-17 and finished with 12 points. Both players had more turnovers (three) than assists (two). 

Stat to know: 54.3% — that’s what the Heat shot from deep. They drilled 19 triples. The Celtics, meanwhile, went just 11-for-42, which comes out to 26.2%. Brown was 0-for-7 for deep. Tatum was 1-7. 

During the regular season, only the Golden State Warriors averaged more 3-pointers per game than the Celtics (16) and shot a better percentage (42.6). The 3-pointer has been a key part of the Celtics’ offense all season, and yet, when the Celtics needed it most, it was the Heat who were making it rain from deep. 

Play of the game: To be honest, there were a bunch of Bam Adebayo dunks to choose from. He had a few monster finishes — and kudos to him for realizing that he’s big and strong and should be trying to dunk balls, not loft up soft jumpers from eight feet away — but this connection with Duncan Robinson was most symbolic of how the Heat were able to carve up the Celtics’ D. 

This is Duncan Robinson, not exactly the most electric player off the bounce, dusting an elite defender in Derrick White. He’s able to generate space because, after hitting just 32.8% of his 3-point attempts during the regular season and falling out of the Heat’s rotation, Robinson during the playoffs has rediscovered his stroke. 

Entering Game 3, he’d drilled 42% of his deep looks — on 5.5 attempts per game — and was 5-for-7 on Sunday night. He finished the game with 22 points and, more impressive, four assists. Robinson’s renaissance has played a big role in the Heat’s miraculous playoff run. 

Quote of the night: It’s not a quote, but, to paraphrase the saying, some pictures are worth thousands of words:

Up next for the Heat: At this point, it feels like all Miami needs in order to secure a sweep and trip to the Finals is to simply show up. We can assume they won’t drill 54.3% of their 3s again, but they’ve also shown that they can win playoff games in many different ways. 

Up next for the Celtics : Maybe they can actually try? Some jumpers falling would no doubt boost their energy level, but they also showed no fight in Game 3. So, trailing the Heat 3-0 and facing ridiculously long odds, will they come out with juice or are they already dreaming about cancun? 

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of "Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports." Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

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Yaron Weitzman