By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Basketball Author
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jayson Tatum thought he had a dunk to tie the sport.
Bam Adebayo had different concepts — and within the greatest second of his younger NBA profession, Miami’s All-Star massive man greater than rose to the event.
Jimmy Butler’s three-point play with 12 seconds left put Miami forward for good, Adebayo completed it off with a shocking rejection of Tatum on the rim on the following Boston possession, and the Warmth struck first within the Japanese Convention finals with a 117-114 win in Recreation 1 on Tuesday night time.
“When you might have nice competitors like this, you simply need to make performs you can’t even actually clarify,” Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned. “And that was Bam tonight.”
The Warmth have been down by 13 within the opening minutes, down by 14 within the remaining quarter and felt like a nasty name took the lead from them within the remaining seconds. They discovered a manner in time beyond regulation, enhancing to an NBA-best 9-1 to date in these playoffs.
Goran Dragic scored 29 factors, Jae Crowder scored 22, Butler had 20 and Adebayo had 18. However even after an evening when Butler made a go-ahead 3-pointer late in regulation and had the go-ahead-for-good factors once more in time beyond regulation, he pointed at Adebayo for his favourite second.
“Bam. That seals the sport for us,” Butler mentioned. “I like how he does any and all the pieces that you just ask him to do. I actually do. You ask him to move the ball, he does that. Rating, he does that. Give you an enormous defensive cease, block, he does that. He’s an enormous half to our successful. I’ve been saying all of it yr lengthy and I’ll repeat it once more.”
Kemba Walker’s basket with 23.2 seconds left in time beyond regulation put Boston up by one, earlier than Butler muscled his strategy to the rim for a rating whereas getting fouled by Tatum. The Celtics went to Tatum on the following possession, solely to observe him get denied by Adebayo.
“He made a fantastic play,” Tatum mentioned. “That’s all it’s. … Can’t do something about it.”
Tatum scored 30 factors for the Celtics, Marcus Sensible had 26 factors, Walker had 19 and Jaylen Brown added 17. The Celtics had been 156-1 for the reason that shot-clock period began 65 years in the past — winners of 92 straight — when main by 12 or extra factors going into the fourth quarter of a playoff recreation.
“Acquired to make higher selections,” Walker mentioned.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens tipped his cap to Adebayo afterward.
“He’s an amazing defender,” Stevens mentioned. “We’re going to have to determine, once more, higher methods to assault, particularly late. I believed we actually moved it at instances, then we did get stagnant.”
Miami’s Tyler Herro was one help shy of a triple-double — ending with 12 factors, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. He would have been the second-youngest participant within the final 40 years to have a postseason triple-double, someday older than Magic Johnson was when he obtained his first.
Johnson weighed in postgame on Twitter, lauding Miami.
“Bam Adebayo’s block on Jayson Tatum’s dunk try was the very best defensive play I’ve seen ever within the playoffs!!!!” Johnson tweeted.
Boston led 85-71 early within the fourth and saved the lead for nearly all the remaining interval — till Butler related on a 3-pointer from the precise nook with 22 seconds left for a 106-105 Miami edge.
The Celtics tied it earlier than the clock even began once more. Derrick Jones Jr. was referred to as for an away-from-the-play foul whereas Miami defended the inbounds move, a name the place the Warmth argued to no avail that he obtained shoved as a substitute. Tatum went to the road, tied the sport with the free throw, and Boston impulsively went from needing a rating to with the ability to run out the clock.
Tatum’s 3-point attempt on the finish of regulation was quick, and to time beyond regulation they went.
“Made a hell of a block,” Adebayo mentioned. “That doesn’t dictate the collection, although. We’re solely up 1-0.”
Warmth: Miami has gotten into early hassle in all three of its Recreation 1s in these playoffs — down eight to Indiana early within the first spherical, down 11 to Milwaukee within the opening quarter of the second spherical and down 13 to Boston in Tuesday’s first quarter. … Andre Iguodala, who performed in zero conference-final video games in his first 10 seasons, has now performed in 22 since 2015.
Celtics: Boston’s document for consecutive Recreation 1 wins is 11, from 1985 by 1987. The Celtics received eight straight from 1959 by 1962. … Gordon Hayward (ankle) was inactive once more, although the Celtics imagine he can play on this collection. … Brad Wanamaker had 5 steals for Boston.
Tuesday was the 141st assembly all-time between the Celtics and Warmth. It additionally marked the thirty ninth all-time matchup between the Boston Crimson Sox and Miami Marlins — nevertheless it was the primary time these 4 golf equipment all confronted off on the identical date. The closest they beforehand got here to colliding was 2012, when the Warmth topped the Celtics in Recreation 7 of the East finals on June 9 and the Crimson Sox and Marlins opened a collection two days later.
Tatum’s son younger Deuce cleared quarantine and was reunited along with his dad — and the remainder of the Celtics — within the bubble on Tuesday. “In the end, it’s simply good for them to see their households,” Stevens mentioned. “I walked down the hallway with Deuce as we speak, which was the spotlight of my 70 days right here. I feel that’s simply actually cool.”
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