6 takeaways as Jayson Tatum, Celtics eviscerate Heat in Game 4 to even series
The Celtics turned the ball over just nine times and won by 20.
Here are the takeaways as the Celtics rolled over the Heat with a monstrous 102-82 victory that really wasn’t that close.
1. The Celtics finished with nine turnovers and a 20-point victory, even though they were shooting just 27-for-67 (40.3 percent) from the floor and 7-for-29 (24.1 percent) from 3 when they pulled their starters in the fourth quarter.
The Heat finished with 19 steals in their Game 3 win.
“I think we only had [3-4 turnovers] in the first quarter,” Ime Udoka said. “So taking care of the ball was huge, obviously, making them score in the half court as opposed to getting the run-outs that we aided them with last game.”
2. The Heat started the game disastrously — they barely cracked double figures in the first quarter (29-11) and were stuck on just one point until the 3:22 mark of the first quarter. After Victor Oladipo scored the team’s first field goal — a 3-pointer — they didn’t score again until there was 1:50 remaining.
The Celtics’ defense remains a monster when they keep the Heat from getting out in transition.
3. Udoka and multiple Celtics players noted that they need to play better after wins, as well as losses.
“I feel like that’s how our team is,” Robert Williams said. “We need to work on being better in that aspect. We shouldn’t have to get punched in the mouth to respond. That’s just my opinion.”
4. Williams went to the bench in the third quarter limping a little bit, which is an ominous sign for a beat-up Celtics team that was already without Marcus Smart in Game 4.
The Celtics desperately need Williams healthy going forward in this series, but he was non-committal about his potential availability, although he said the knee “feels great, feels good.”