The Celtics were on the doorstep of making history but fell short in their 103-84 loss to the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as Miami became just the second eight seed in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals.
On a night that had so much promise, the Celtics could not have had a worse start. On the very first possession of the game, Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle and was clearly not the same for the remainder of the game.
Boston’s offense put the Celtics in a bad spot early on, as they finished the first quarter with just 15 points on 6 of 23 (26.1%) from the field, including 0 of 10 from three — marking just the fifth time this season they didn’t hit a three in a quarter. The C’s also finished the opening frame with more turnovers (4) than assists (3).
With the Celtics’ offense struggling, it was only a matter of time before Miami pounced on the opportunity. After a strong start defensively in the first quarter, Boston lost some of that intensity late in the first quarter and into the second, and the Heat took advantage.
Miami went on a 19-4 run in a span of 5:30 between the end of the first and into the early minutes of the second quarter, building a lead as big as 17 in the first half, as the C’s found themselves trailing by 11 entering the second half.
The Heat opened the second half on a 7-2 run, and if not for the efforts of Derrick White in the third quarter, things could have gotten really out of hand. White finished the third quarter with 13 points and made some great plays on the defensive end as he did all he could to keep his team in the game.
Boston entered the fourth quarter trailing by 10 before the Heat delivered one more knockout blow, opening the fourth on a 7-0 run and putting the game out of reach.
Here are three takeaways from the loss as the Celtics’ season comes to an end in disappointing fashion.
Jaylen Brown struggles
An ankle injury to Tatum just 26 seconds into the game changed things for the Celtics. Tatum would play through the pain, but was nowhere near his normal self.
“It impacted me the rest of the night,” he said postgame. “It was just frustrating that I was kinda like a shell of myself.”
With Tatum hobbled, Brown naturally assumed a bigger role, and he struggled. Brown finished the night with just 19 points on 8 of 23 (34.8%) from the field, including 1 of 9 (11.1%) from three.
The biggest issue for Brown was the turnovers. He finished the night with eight of Boston’s 15 turnovers. Brown’s eight turnovers marked a new career high, and that total was the most by a Celtic in a postseason game since 2017. It was just one shy of tying Donovan Mitchell for the most in a Game 7.
From bad shot selections to too much dribbling, Brown's poor decisions hurt his team, and unfortunately, that was the case for much of this series. Brown has proven to be among the top talents in the league, but he hurt his team the Eastern Conference Finals, as he finished the series -34.
Ice cold from three
The Celtics prided themselves on their 3-point shooting this season, and that’s an area they severely struggled in again in Game 7. Coming off a season-worst 7 of 35 (20%) shooting from three in Game 6, the Celtics struggled again in Game 7, shooting just 9 of 42 (21.4%). Meanwhile, Miami shot 14 of 28 (50%).
The Celtics slowed down their offense often in Game 7, which led to poor shot selection and settling for threes late in the shot clock, which put pressure on their defense.
Game 7 marked just the eighth time the Celtics failed to reach 13 threes in a game, as they dropped 1-7 in such games. The C’s were very reliant on the three-ball this season, and it cost them in Game 7.
Brogdon injury kills Celtics
Malcolm Brogdon was such a driving factor behind the Celtics’ success this season, but all that changed after he suffered an injury in Game 1. Credit to Brogdon for playing through the injury, which he will consider surgery on after the season, but he was not himself.
In six games, Brogdon finished the series shooting 12 of 39 (30.8%) from the field and 3 of 18 (16.7%) from three, netting a -23 plus-minus. He finished with just two points on 1 of 16 shooting over the last four games.
After missing Game 6, Brogdon suited up for Game 7, but the struggles continued, as the Celtics were outscored by 15 with him on the court. The importance of Brogdon and what he meant to the team this season cannot be overstated, and not having a healthy Brogdon played a key role in Boston’s struggles this series.