Tag: Miami heat

MIAMI — The moment Derek White’s buzzer-beaten layup hit the basket, his dad, Richard, couldn’t celebrate just yet. Administrators still need to decide whether the return set will count. Few reviews weigh more than ever. If the umpires cancel the basket, Boston’s season will end in a fourth-quarter crushing collapse. If they determine which score counts, Derek’s shot will go straight into Celtics lore. He will be the lifesaver of the season. Expanded Eastern Conference Finals. The humble and down-to-earth ranger who has what it takes to carve his way…

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MIAMI – Going into Game 3, the Celtics had a plan and a goal. They knew one more loss would push their season to an irreparable breaking point. They came with the best of intentions. Then everything collapsed. So after losing 128-102 to go down 0-3, Joe Mazzola came out and fell on his sword. “I just didn’t find them ready to play,” he said. “I just didn’t execute the proper game plan. I didn’t put them in the right mindset to be ready, and it’s my job to make…

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Miami – Why can’t the Celtics stop Jimmy Butler? Their defense has always been able to keep a star in a box after an explosive game. They lock in their details, mix in some inconsistencies and shade it in a perfectly calibrated assist. But not Butler. Not the man he’s known for. There are several criticisms of Joe Mazzulla that can be countered by a more thorough understanding of how this team operates and the risk-reward decisions a coach has to make throughout the game. But there’s no excuse for…

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BOSTON – Grant Williams did not apologize. Not to stand on the forehead with Jimmy Butler. Not for yelling at a heat star. Not for badass Miami bears, because the talking heads would blame Williams for doing it. He’ll get upset over the coming days because, with the Celtics ahead of the Heat early in the fourth quarter on Friday night, he had the audacity to talk trash to Butler. Williams yelled back at Butler. With their foreheads smashed against each other, the two engaged in a shouting match that…

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BOSTON – Another Bear has been teetering on the 2023 Playoffs. All remaining homers should consider themselves warned. The final incident, a prick followed by a pounding, occurred at 6:22 of the fourth quarter at TD Garden. The perpetrator and the victim: Grant Williams of the Celtics. Bear: Jimmy Butler. “I knew it was going to be good for us,” said Caleb Martin of the Heat. Miami’s Bam Adebayo added, “I feel like stuff like this always fuels Jimmy.” Butler agreed, saying, “Yeah, it did.” Williams was new to the…

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BOSTON – With an odd expression on his face, Al Horford threw his hands in the air and turned to look at teammate Malcolm Brogdon. The gesture indicated that Brogdon, not Horford, was supposed to take away Max Stross on Miami’s last possession of the third quarter. Whoever is to blame, the Celtics had a bad misunderstanding on the play – one that led to Brogdon letting one of Miami’s starting pitchers go around to the least threatening player on the field. Cody Zeller had not made a three-pointer since…

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