Celtics Burns Another Late-Game Lead as Series Shifts to Miami 0-2 Down

The Boston Celtics are in a massive hole after the Miami Heat took them apart once again in the closing moments of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Despite being in control for significant portions of the game, the Celtics fell in an 0-2 deficit as this series heads to Miami for Game 3 on Sunday night. As Grant Williams put it, they have a “real, real decision to make...are we going to come back and really set the tone for the rest of this year and really make a statement, or are we going to come out and lay down?”

Jaylen Brown noted that the Celtics “get sped up at times” in these close situations and need to make “winning plays” late in games. But it was the inability to consistently hit shots that ultimately sealed their fate, shooting just 10-for-30 from 3-point range. Jayson Tatum — who had 34 points — put it simply: “We got to execute better.”

Understandably, this feeling is all too familiar with the Celtics, who have had multiple late-game melt-downs over the past couple of post-seasons. Now facing a 1-4 game situation, only time will tell if this team is built to fight or lay down.