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NBA playoffs: Now the Celtics look like themselves

NBA playoff basketball is an exercise in advanced problem-solving, and the Boston Celtics came into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals with some serious problems.

They'd blown double-digit second-half leads to the Miami Heat in consecutive losses, encountered far more trouble with the Heat's zone defense than any top-five offense should, and let Miami wreak havoc in the paint.

If the first two games of the series were radical departures, then Game 3 was a bold correction for the Celtics, as they overwhelmed the Heat 117-106 to narrow Miami's series lead to 2-1.