You could say the Celtics wasted a golden opportunity in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Heat.
After stealing home court with a dominant road win over Miami in Game 2, Boston came out flat on its home floor in Game 3, trailing by as many as 26 points in the first half. Despite facing such a large deficit, the Celtics regained momentum as they chipped away at the Heat's lead to bring the game to within one point late in the fourth quarter, but they just couldn't get over the hump.
Because of its flat start, Boston dug itself in such a hole that it couldn't take advantage of Miami's Jimmy Butler missing the entire second half due to knee inflammation.
MORE: Jimmy Butler's injury status for Game 4 vs. Celtics
Now, the Celtics face a 2-1 series deficit to a Heat team that they lost to in a similar manner in the Eastern Conference Finals less than two years ago.
While things are far from ideal, it's not time for the Celtics to panic just yet. In fact, four reasons, in particular, stand out as to why Boston should still feel confident in this series.
1. Two bad quarters
The Celtics are in this position because of two quarters, and I don't say that hyperbolically.
Through three games in this series, Boston has outscored Miami in 10 of 12 quarters, with the two exceptions being the third quarter of Game 1 and the first quarter of Game 3.
Per @EliasSports, the Heat have won just 2 quarters this series (3rd of Game 1 and 1st of Game 3), winning those quarters by a combined 46 points.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 22, 2022
Miami is the 1st team in NBA postseason history to win just 2 quarters in the first 3 games and have a series lead. pic.twitter.com/4UqLruomgq
In Game 1, the Celtics led by as many as 13 points in the first half before the Heat outscored them 39-14 in the third quarter to completely change the trajectory of the game. In Game 3, the Heat outscored the Celtics 39-18 in the first quarter, putting things too far out of reach despite Boston's valiant comeback efforts.
The Celtics aren't a team that's in search of answers as they can follow the blueprint from the first half in Game 1 and their second-half comeback in Game 3 in order to tie things up and take command of this series.
2. Tatum got it out of his system
Jayson Tatum called his performance in Game 3 "unacceptable," and for an All-NBA caliber performer, it was.
In Boston's loss, Tatum was held to 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting and committed six turnovers in just under 41 minutes of action. Despite Tatum's off night, the Celtics still had their chances to win.
That says something about the makeup of this team.
MORE: Jayson Tatum calls Game 3 performance 'unacceptable'
You can draw parallels from Tatum's performance in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals to his showing in Game 2 of the opening round vs. the Nets (19 points on 5-of-16 shooting) or Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. the Bucks (10 points on 4-of-19 shooting), both of which he bounced back from to score 30-plus points.
At 24, Tatum's last step towards superstardom is avoiding these "unacceptable" performances but for now, the Celtics should find solace in knowing that Tatum hasn't turned any more than one of those types of games in during a given series.
3. Controllable shortcomings
Boston can easily identify where it misstepped in each of its losses in this series.
Head coach Ime Udoka has been candid with his team's shortcomings, citing a lack of urgency to begin Game 3 and a level of relaxation after building a lead in Game 1.
"It looked liked they wilted under the pressure, started complaining to the refs and took us out of the game from the start. Disappointed to come out that flat in a conference finals game."
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 22, 2022
Ime Udoka after Celtics Game 3 loss pic.twitter.com/EuTOf5iWuF
Both traits are bad for business.
As a result, Boston executed poorly and played sloppily, committing 23 turnovers in Game 3, 19 of which were Miami steals. Similar to the two bad quarters, the Celtics aren't searching for answers here, they know exactly what they need to do to fix these issues.
Sharper execution will benefit Boston's offense and limit what Miami can do off of turnovers, which is something its offense has relied upon.
4. Boston's been here before
While going against the defending-champion Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Celtics faced both a 2-1 series deficit and a 3-2 series deficit.
In both instances, the ensuing game was played on the road.
This time around, the Celtics face a 2-1 deficit but can lean on their home crowd to help them tie the series up. This team has shown the ability to perform under pressure and a heightened sense of urgency from the jump will rectify their problems from Games 1 and 3.
The pressure to avoid falling into a 3-1 series deficit may seem overwhelming, but this Celtics team has proven that it knows a thing or two about performing under pressure.
