For the second consecutive series, the Celtics lost Game 1 — falling 118-107 to the Heat on Tuesday in their Eastern Conference finals opener.
It’s tough to see Tuesday’s loss as anything but an opportunity missed. The Celtics were without Marcus Smart (mid-foot sprain) and Al Horford (health and safety protocols), but they ran out to a big first-half lead which ballooned as high as 13 before a solid stretch by Tyler Herro trimmed it a bit.
Then, disaster. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown couldn’t stop turning the ball over (Tatum finished the third quarter with a staggering six), and the Heat embarrassed the Celtics — putting together a 20-2 run that erased the deficit and rendered the Celtics’ answering 9-0 run insufficient.