Back to the NBA Newsfeed

Why Game 3's loss could mean so much more for Celtics, Joe Mazzulla

MIAMI -- Demons were born Sunday night, those thoughts that stick in the head and on detractors' lips.

The Boston Celtics have played hundreds of memorable playoff games in their storied history, but for the foreseeable future, just saying "Game 3" is going to sting without any needed context.

Frankly, the Miami Heat have a pretty good catalog of playoff moments, yet their 128-102 victory to take a 3-0 Eastern Conference finals lead might get its own special heading. Unexpected success is often the sweetest, and the Heat and their fans were floating on that emotion.