JAYSON Tatum (0) of the Boston Celtics defending against Jimmy Butler (22) of the Miami Heat during Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals in Orlando, Florida. The Heat who won the game is up 2-0 in the series. (AFP)
THE Miami Heat rallied to beat the Boston Celtics 106-101 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Orlando Thursday.
The Celtics led the end of the first quarter by three 31-28 and hiked the lead to 10 43-33 four minutes into the second quarter.
Boston increased the lead to 17 but Miami rallied to cut the deficit to 13 60-47 at halftime.
Miami pressed on in the third and led 84-77 going into the fourth.
Boston countered and tied the score at 89-all with 5:37 left. The Celtics led by five 94-89 with 4:25 remaining but a 13-1 run enabled the Heat to regain control 102-95.
A triple by the Celtics narrowed the gap to three 104-101 with 49.4 seconds remaining. Jaylen Brown missed a three with 15.1 seconds to go and Jimmy Butler hit two free throws to seal the win for Miami.
Goran Dragic scored a game-high 25 points, Bam Adebayo had 21 and 10 rebounds, Duncan Robinson added 18, and Butler chipped in 14 for the Heat.
Kemba Walker led the Celtics with 23 points. Jayson Tatum and Brown scored 21 apiece.
The Celtics hope to avoid an insurmountable 3-0 hole in Game 3 Saturday.
The Heat are 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and 10-1 in the playoffs.
BEDLAM AT CELTICS LOCKER ROOM
The Celtics locker room was in a state of bedlam after the game.
Marcus Smart was in a bad mood, reportedly cussing and screaming and they were so loud that they were heard from the outside corridor.
Smart allegedly said “y’all on that bulls—.” He continued to cuss as he exited the locker room.
Objects were reportedly thrown and the scene inside was described as “raucous.”
NEVER MIND IT
The Celtics downplayed the locker room scene.
“It was nothing,” Walker said. “It was nothing. I ain’t got much to speak on about it.”
Head coach Brad Stevens said they were just emotional. “Guys were emotional after a hard game – hard loss,” Stevens said.
For Tatum, the event was nothing out of the ordinary. “You’re not supposed to be happy when you’re down 0-2. Nothing out of the ordinary, just talking about the game.”
CARTER JOINS ESPN
Cable sports channel ESPN has signed recently retired Vince Carter to a multi-year contract to become an NBA and college basketball analyst.
He had previously appeared on ESPN as a guest analyst prior to his recent retirement.
Carter played a record 22 seasons in the NBA.
An eight-time NBA All-Star, Carter played for the US in 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia where he is remembered for dunking on Frederic Weis of France.
RAPTORS’ TOP PRIORITY
Point guard Fred VanVleet is so important to the Toronto Raptors that resigning him is a big-time priority.
VanVleet, an unrestricted free agent after the season, averaged 18 points and seven assists this season for the Raptors, who were dethroned by the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri has been taking care of his leadership team, signing coach Nick Nurse to a multi-year extension, and is close to signing general manager Bobby Webster to a contract extension.
However, Ujiri has yet to take care of himself, with only one year left on his contract and have not had any discussions with team owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment since they were eliminated.
(Compiled by Tristan Lozano)
