BOSTON — If Game 3 was about being taken out before it had barely started, the Celtics reversed the concept Monday night.
Beginning with a 29-11 first quarter and building a lead that peaked at 32 points, the Celtics hit back with a 102-82 win over Miami for a 2-2 series tie in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In addition to the finest season of Jayson Tatum’s young career, the Celtics got here by virtue of the NBA’s finest defense. And despite the ankle-related absence of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, the C’s turned in one of their finest defensive performances of the 2022 postseason, limiting Miami to sub-30% shooting before the advent of garbage time.