Takeaway No. 1) Another lackadaisical third quarter leads to forfeited lead
One of the biggest trends for the Boston Celtics throughout this postseason run has been attaining a substantial lead over their opponents and then, thanks to a horrid third quarter, letting the other team make a comeback.
We saw it all throughout their last series against the Toronto Raptors, as they found themselves holding so much as a 12 point lead during a game’s second quarter and then, once the third quarter comes about, they wind up handing it back over. Of all seven games played in the Semifinals, six of their third quarters were won by the Raptors — registering in at a combined point total of 208 to 178.
Game two of these Eastern Conference Finals saw this same trend for the shamrocks. Going up by as many at 17 points before the half, by the time the third quarter came around Boston looked as though they wanted to lose.
Starting the quarter up by 13 (47-60) the Heat simply outhustled, muscled, and played the Celtics, outscoring them by a whopping 20 points (37-17) and finishing the third with a seven-point advantage 84-77.
A game must be played for ALL four quarters (and then some) if the Cs want to come away with a win.
Their third quarter alone made game three a putrid performance in my eyes. THAT’s how bad it was.