The Boston Celtics passed the first test. After resting their main players for the last two games of the regular season, the Celtics came out strong in Game 1 of their playoff matchup with the Miami Heat on Sunday, April 21. As a 14-point favorite, the top-seeded Celtics easily won with a 114-94 victory.
The game had a playoff feel at Boston’s TD Garden. Miami’s Caleb Martin made a foul on Celtics star Jayson Tatum that many have called “dirty. After the game, Heat center Bam Adebayo made some unrealistic comments. It was a tough battle between the top-seeded Celtics and the No. 8 Heat, the team that stopped the Celtics from reaching the NBA Finals for a second consecutive year.
The Boston Celtics Dealt with Caleb Martin’s Aggressive Foul the Right Way
The Heat are in a desperate situation. They are playing without their best player, Jimmy Butler, who got an MCL injury during a play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers. With much less talent than the Celtics, the Heat may result to some unsportsmanlike behavior, something that Caleb Martin may have done in Game 1.
Martin undercut Tatum as the Celtics star went for a rebound, causing Tatum to fall late in the game. Jaylen Brown exchanged words with Martin as Tatum headed toward the free-throw line to handle 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 Made Unrealistic Comments After the Loss to the Celtics
The Celtics dominated from the beginning. They sent a message from the start that the path 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.
