It doesn’t matter that it’s February, that there are still three months left until the playoffs and that the world and national press is paying attention to the Super Bowl more than any NBA duel. If the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat meet, the match promises to be worthy. A battle that dates back to 2020, to the bubble, and that has been repeated almost every year in the postseason. This afternoon, the third of the regular season, was won again by the Celtics who swept the series 3-0, although what really matters is what happens from April onwards. Last year Miami won in seven, allowing themselves to tie a 3-0 lead before taking the seventh at TD Garden. And Boston has done its homework to avoid repeating the same situation.
Because they bet on Kristaps Porzingis in the summer. The Latvian arrived thinking only about the series against the Heat, and how Erik Spoelstra’s defensive web had stopped the alternatives of a very flat Celtics offense. With Porzingis, infinite variables win and the center knows it. In the first half he scored 15 points, finishing with 25 despite the physical problems that made him miss part of the third period due to back discomfort. Because if the duel had something, it was harshness. Not aggressiveness, nor hard play, but a lot of intensity. And the Heat came out losing in that aspect, which already They arrived without Jimmy Butler at the game, with permission from Miami due to the death of a family member.
In the first quarter, Josh Richardson had to leave with a shoulder injury, and in the third, just two possessions after Porzingis’ discomfort, it was Terry Rozier’s turn. A bad fall by Miami’s brand new signing left him aside for the final minutes, leaving the Heat orphaned of generators. Even Jaylen Brown and Duncan Robinson almost came to blows after a movement by the Celtics player with the shooter’s arm hooked. A flagrant that could change the course of the game, because from being within 9 points, the Heat were within one possession at the pace of Tyler Herro (24 points). Luckily for Joe Mazzulla, there is Jayson Tatum.
And now Jaylen Brown is trying to break Duncan Robinson’s arm (?)
It’s not a Heat v Celtics without blood and broken bones. Technique to Jaylen and it should be flagrant 1. pic.twitter.com/Hg87RpJu04
— Alejandro Gaitán (@alejandroggo) February 11, 2024
The Celtics star, who was one assist shy of a triple-double, put on his overalls in the final possessions. He defended Bam Adebayo, Miami’s great threat, closed the defensive rebound and scored with his assists first and from the free throw line. He finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 9 baskets, as well as 2 blocks. And the Celtics continue to widen the gap with second place, Cleveland, five games away. Everything indicates that they will be the best record of the season, and the. Only 33 teams in history, including Boston this year, have reached 41 wins in 52 games; 15 won the ring and 27 finished with at least 60 wins. The reality of these Celtics? They don’t have to prove anything in the regular season, the challenge comes later.
Results of the night
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Boston Celtics 110-106 Miami Heat
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Sacramento Kings 113-127 Oklahoma City Thunder
THE REST OF THE DAY
Oklahoma wins again
Just one more game on the most important night of the year for American football. As the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers prepared to decide the winner of the Super Bowl, Oklahoma takes the win against the Sacramento Kings. After two straight losses for the Thunder, the pairing of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams led Mark Daigneault’s team to victory. The Canadian scored 38 points, shouting MVP from his audience, and Jalen contributed another 32 so he could quickly forget the beating against the Mavericks. Domantas Sabonis’ almost every night triple-double, 21 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, did not do much and the Kings fell to play-in positions, with only a half-game advantage over the Mavericks, in eighth place.
Sports journalist covering the NBA from Toronto. Leaving from Barcelona, he has lived in Boston, Sydney and Bogotá before staying in Canada to bring the best basketball league on the planet. All NBA, a little basketball, because he grew up with Tracy McGrady and Pau Gasol, but also with Sarunas Jasikevicius and Arvydas Macijauskas. He studied journalism in Barcelona, where he worked for various media and radio stations, and currently also collaborates with Gigantes del Basket and NBA Spain. He was in the NBA Finals where Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Sergio Scariolo got their first ring. If you don’t see him here, he’s probably on Twitter. …
2024-02-12 02:17:02
#Boston #Miami #neverending #battle #East #Tatum #decides #Super #Bowl #night
