Recap: Three championship teams and one half of incredible basketball

Well, that was interesting.

Boston dropped a steaming pile of basketball over the first twenty-four minutes, and over the final twenty-four looked at least as good as the ’76 Celtics–if not the ’66 or ’86 Celtics. They spotted Miami a 24 point lead and then took it all back and then some, outscoring Miami by 34 in the second half, winning the game 98-88.

Boston’s defense wasn’t terrible over the opening minutes; Miami was making tough contested shots for the most part, but on the other end of the court it looked like the Celtics were playing a rigged game of ring toss at a carnival midway, going four minutes without a field goal in the middle of the opening frame. Those missed shots seem to have gotten to the Celtics, as Boston’s defensive effort all but disappeared over the final minutes of the period, with Miami holding a twenty point lead when Brad Stevens called his second, “what is with you guys?” timeout.

It didn’t work.

At the end of one, Boston was scoring at about a point a minute rate, and Miami was on target to beat the Celtics by 88; 35-13.

If the Celtics were secretly sandbagging for the sixth seed in order to avoid Cleveland in the second round, it was working so well that the team looked like they were more likely to get swept out of the first round.

Boston started off the second quarter looking a bit more with it, like they actually knew that a game was being played. But as the period wore on the Celtics reverted, seeming more and more like five guys who accidentally wore the same t-shirt to a party than anything resembling a basketball team. But hey, the shooting did get better. By the halfway mark of the second, the Celtics were making almost one of every three shots they took. Which, you know, was better than it was, but that’s only because it would’ve been almost impossible for it to get worse.

The Celtics matched the Heat point for point through the second quarter, pretty much, which would’ve been a whole lot better if they had started the quarter with a lead, as opposed to a 22 point deficit.

At the end of the half, Miami had added two to their lead, 62-38.

During halftime the Celtics honored part of their legacy, as a group of champions from fifty, forty and thirty years ago collected at center court. Some of that attitude must’ve rubbed off on this year’s iteration of the team. A big part of it.

In the first seven minutes of the third quarter, Miami scored three points and Boston scored seventeen.

An Isaiah Thomas three reduced Miami’s lead to four as part of a 20-0 Boston run that ended with a Joe Johnson two.

The Celtics played about as well to open the third as I’ve seen them play all season. They ignited the crowd and then fed off it. They were active on defense, out in transition, and they finally started to make their shots. And Miami couldn’t make anything.

Miami scored five points in the third quarter.

Five.

And Joe Johnson scored all of them.

No one else on the Heat scored in the third.

No one.

67-63 Miami after three.

Boston opened the fourth on an 9-2 run and took a three point lead not even three minutes into the quarter on an impressive old-school three point play by Olynyk. That was followed up by a shot clock violation when Hassan Whiteside apparently forgot all about the clock and a wide-open Jerebko three that gave the Celtics a six point lead not even sixteen minutes of game time after being down 24.

Boston maintained that lead through the middle stretch of the fourth with Thomas and Dwyane Wade on the bench. When they checked back in, Boston was able to stretch the lead to ten with just under three minutes to go, as the cameras caught McHale and Walton (wearing a skin tight ’86 Celtics jersey tucked into his jeans) enjoying the show from courtside seats.

Some ugly basketball ensued after Isaiah Thomas’ free throws pushed the lead to ten. Miami ground the lead down to seven, but with fifty seconds to go after Miami came up empty on a must-score possession, the Garden crowd got on its feet and Isaiah Thomas buried a catch-and-shoot three, and that was it.

Final score of the absolute craziest game played at the Garden in the regular season this year? 98-88

Green

The second half

Gross

The first half

Greenlights

In front of many of the greatest Legends in team history, the C’s pull off a 26-pt comeback to down the Heat 98-88! pic.twitter.com/kYIMaMPE6k

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 14, 2016

.@Isaiah_Thomas got a post-game congratulations from Bill Russell ☘ pic.twitter.com/TXOodjIKG8

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 14, 2016

Any time you’ve got the greatest player in the history of professional basketball in the house, it’s a greenlight.

The bucket, the foul, and the lead! What a performance by the Celtics! pic.twitter.com/oVijVA6YoO

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 14, 2016

Grid

Boston was 15-45 in the first half. They were 21-41 in the second half.

Miami’s five points in the third quarter was a franchise record low.