Heat Rally, Upset Celtics
The Miami Heat rallied to upset the Boston Celtics 123-116 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, outscoring the Celtics 46-25 in the third quarter to turn a nine-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead. The teams will meet again in Boston for Game 2 on Friday night.
The Heat set a franchise record for most points scored in a quarter in a playoff game. The only team in NBA Conference Finals history to score more points in a quarter is the Denver Nuggets with 47 in the fourth period on May 14, 1985.
The Heat became just the fifth team in NBA history to open a postseason with road wins in each of their first three series:
1981 Houston Rockets
1989 Chicago Bulls
1999 New York Knicks
2021 Atlanta Hawks
2023 Miami Heat
The 1981 Rockets and 1999 Knicks both advanced to the NBA Finals, although neither won a championship.
As usual, the Heat were led by Jimmy Butler, who scored a game-high 35 points with seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds. It’s the second time Butler has produced at least 35 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals in a playoff game. Since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74, the only other players to record multiple such games are Michael Jordan (7) and Allen Iverson (2).
Butler is just the third player to record a 35-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist, 5-steal game in the conference finals, joining Michael Jordan (May 27, 1989) and Russell Westbrook (May 27, 2014).
Butler was one of six players to score at least 15 points for the Heat, setting a franchise record for most such players in a playoff game:
35 — Jimmy Butler
20 — Bam Adebayo
15 — Kyle Lowry
15 — Caleb Martin
15 — Max Strus
15 — Gabe Vincent
The Heat also tied the NBA record for most 15-point scorers in a playoff game, the 19th time a team has achieved the feat. The last team to do so in a conference finals game was the Los Angeles Lakers on May 22, 1985.
Adebayo scored his 20 points on 9-13 shooting from the field, adding a team-high eight rebounds and six assists. It’s the second time Butler and Adebayo have each recorded at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a playoff game. The only other duo in franchise history to produce such a game is LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who did so five times.
The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 30 points in the loss, shooting 9-17 from the field and making all 11 of his free throws. Tatum attempted just four shots from the floor in the second half, including none in over eight minutes of playing time in the fourth quarter. He also committed two crucial traveling turnovers in a 30-second span late in the fourth quarter.
Teammate Jaylen Brown scored 22 points on 10-21 shooting from the field, adding a team-high nine rebounds and five assists. Tatum and Brown have each scored at least 20 points in the same playoff game 33 times. The only active duo with more such games is Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson with 53.