The Miami Heat now hold a 2-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics following their 106-101 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The first half of this game went in the Celtics’ favor. The matchup was tight through one quarter as Boston held just a three-point lead at that point. However, they outscored the Heat by a 10-point margin in the second period to set up a 60-47 lead at halftime.
Things went south for the Celtics fast…very fast, in fact. The Heat brought out their zone defense for a stretch in the third quarter and ultimately contained Boston to 17 points. Meanwhile, Miami put up an impressive game-high 37 points in the quarter.
The Celtics outscored the Heat in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t nearly enough to be able to pull out a win. The damage was already done and their poor performance in the third period ultimately proved to be too troubling to overcome.
Now, the Heat holds a real advantage entering Game 3 and that’s certainly an advantageous position to be in considering their 16-0 all-time series record when holding a 2-0 lead.
Here are four major takeaways from Game 2 of the Celtics vs. Heat series.