A fantastic third quarter into a total meltdown in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Celtics were completely unable to string anything together. Two forced turnovers in a row to end a comeback chance, and two Butler free throws to put the icing on the cake. Two Bam Adebayo offensive rebounds in a row to keep the play alive and demoralize the Celtics. Two Duncan Robinson threes in a row to assassinate any momentum the Cs thought they had. So far, the Heat could always get that second step. So long as you took the two, you’re golden. If you win two games in a row in a playoff series-even if you always lose the next game-theoretically, you can never lose. In the playoffs, we get a whole new level of stringing two things together. If you can win two quarters in a row, you’ll have your opponent in a headlock. Two buckets in a row is the beginning of a run. Here’s the basic gist: Get two stops in a row, you’re locking up. The Miami Heat can do that, and the Boston Celtics cannot. I think basketball is all about doing two things in a row. My head is completely upside down, so here’s what I’ve got: I’d love to take this one with a level head, but we can’t, because the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals have put me in such a mental headlock that I’m inventing new philosophical frameworks to try to understand it all. And while that’s maybe the how, we’re still missing the why. Sure, I could cook up some analytical basketball reasoning for us, telling you how the Boston Celtics turned the ball over, struggled against the Heat’s zone defense, failed to put bodies on Bam Adebayo on the defensive glass, and how Jaylen Brown shot a poor percentage and Caleb Martin shot the lights out. A loss is bad enough, and unfortunately, Game 2 also did nothing to help solve arguably the biggest crisis currently facing the universe: I still have no explanation for why or how this is happening. In my search for silver linings, I initially came up empty. But stick with me, because I promise you there is light at the end of this tunnel. I understand if you just want to crawl into a corner and cry, and for about 500 words you’re going to think that’s all I want to do too. *winks at camera*Īnyway, it’s undeniable that this is a confounding, infuriating, and unspeakably dire situation. Ok now that we’ve collected ourselves, let’s calmly and rationally reckon with the fact that the Celtics just lost both home games and are now down 2-0 to the Miami Heat, putting them in a box so tight that they might literally have to become Hardwood Houdinis to escape it. ![]() Before we go any further, Boston Celtics fans, let’s all just take a deep breath.
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