"Never going to go how people expect it to": Jayson Tatum concedes Heat's playoff genius after Game 2 upset
On Wednesday, Jayson Tatum's No. 1-seeded Boston Celtics suffered the biggest upset of the NBA playoffs thus far. They shockingly fell 111-101 at home in Game 2 of their first-round series against the eighth-seeded Miami Heat. However, the loss didn't surprise Tatum, as he expected a fight from last year's Eastern Conference champions.
Despite playing on the road without superstar forward Jimmy Butler (knee) and starting point guard Terry Rozier (neck), the Heat lit up the Celtics. They knocked down a franchise playoff-record 23 3-pointers, shooting a blistering 53.5% from deep. That marked three more than their previous highest playoff 3-point total of 20 set in 2021.
Miami received a well-balanced offensive attack, with three players tallying 21-plus points, led by shooting guard Tyler Herro's team-high 24 points. Herro added five rebounds, a career-high 14 assists and six 3s, shooting 53.8%.
The Heat's unexpected offensive outburst helped them overcome Tatum and his co-star Jaylen Brown's combined 61 points.
When asked about Boston's Game 2 letdown, Tatum touched on his team's long-running rivalry with Miami. The five-time All-Star noted that despite the Heat being undermanned, the Celtics expected a challenge from the veteran-laden squad.
"We knew it wasn’t going to be easy," Tatum said. "There’s a lot of history between these two franchises, especially recently. ... It’s never going to go exactly as people expect it to go, and that’s the beauty of it."
This year's first-round showdown marks the teams' fourth playoff matchup in the last five years. Miami eliminated Boston from the 2020 and 2023 East finals, while the Celtics sent the Heat home in the 2022 conference finals.
The circumstances are different this year, as Boston is heavily favored to win. Nonetheless, the Celtics have lost home-court advantage, with the series tied 1-1 heading to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday.
Also Read: "Just the nature of the playoffs": Joe Mazzulla downplays Celtics' shocking loss in Game 2
Like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown seemingly unsurprised by Heat's Game 2 upset win
Jaylen Brown also appeared unsurprised by the Heat's Game 2 upset win over the Celtics. While Jayson Tatum highlighted the teams' back-and-forth playoff history, Brown credited Miami's elite coaching for its victory.
The three-time All-Star noted that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra prepared his team to come out of the gate strong offensively. However, Brown hinted that some of Miami's 23 3-pointers were fluky.
"I think they're well-coached," Brown said. "I think that's a credit to their coaching staff and organization. They put together a good game plan for them, and they feel confident and come out and execute, and tonight was an example of that.
"I just thought they made a lot of shots that we normally would feel comfortable with, but it's the playoffs," Brown said. "It is what it is, you gotta adjust, and we gotta play ball. So, we gotta respond."
Brown and the Celtics will look to reclaim home-court advantage during Saturday's Game 3 clash. It remains to be seen if the Heat’s hot shooting will translate to their home floor. If so, Miami could once again put a scare into Boston.
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