The Boston Celtics looked like a different team in the second half of their Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat in the East Finals on Wednesday, and the team that took the court for the final two quarters of the contest looked like a far cry from the focused and prepared ball club that took the floor in the first half of the game.
Asked about why the team seemed unprepared for the uptick in intensity that the Heat brought to bear in the second half, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla took a combative tone to the question. “We worked on that,” he explained. “We played harder than them in the first half, and they outplayed us for one quarter.”
