This Heat season, and perhaps this era of Heat basketball, stands one loss from expiration after a sixth consecutive home playoff loss and a second offensive dud against Boston in three days.
Undermanned and seemingly out of both firepower and answers, the Heat succumbed to the Celtics, 102-88, on Monday night at Kaseya Center and now trails 3-1 in this first-round playoff series. The Celtics can end the series with a win on Wednesday in Boston (7:30 p.m., TNT and Bally Sports Sun).
Already without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, the Heat lost rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. to what he described as a right hip injury. “I felt something give,” he said, adding that the hip is sore and tight -- but “not too bad” -- and he’s unsure of his status for Game 5.
The eighth-seeded Heat fell to 23-21 at home this season and dropped to 1-11 at home against teams with sure-fire Hall of Fame players in uniform. Miami has been outscored by 148 points in those 12 games, a signal that major roster change is likely needed.
What’s more, the Celtics have won five of their last six playoff games at Kaseya Center, going back to their Game 7 win in the 2022 Eastern Conference finals.
Though the effort was there initially in Game 4, the errant-shooting Heat never did anything to suggest it could actually win on Monday. To their credit, Miami cut a 28-point third quarter deficit to 13 with 5:21 left, at 91-78.
Then, a bit of drama. Bam Adebayo lightly pushed Jayson Tatum on a three and was called for a flagrant foul. Al Horford was called for a technical foul on that play, but Tyler Herro missed the free throw, his first miss after 34 consecutive made free throws.
Meanwhile, Tatum then hit two free throws to push the lead to 15. From there, the Heat missed three shots and Derrick White hit a dagger, putting Boston up 17.
White torched the Heat with 38 points on 15 for 26 shooting, including 8 for 15 on threes.
On the other end, the Heat shot poorly: 40.7 percent from the field and 27.3 percent on threes (9 for 33).
“We had some decent looks early on, weren’t able to knock them down,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Offensively we struggled again... We need to put points on the board. We’re not going to be able to hold this team to 70. Holding this team to the low 100s is pretty significant, the way they can shoot and stretch you out.”
The oddsmakers likely would say there’s a better chance of a snowstorm in Cutler Bay than the depleted Heat winning this series.
Miami would need to win three in a row, beginning on Wednesday at Boston, to pull off what would rank among the biggest upsets in NBA history.
“I know in my heart we have a game that’s there,” Spoelstra said. “It’s just a matter of the ball going in a few more times... Our guys really want to get this thing back to Miami and have a great game in front of our fans. The guys have talked about it. Our team really wants to play well in front of our fans.”
Already at a talent deficit against Boston, that talent gap is especially lopsided with Butler and Rozier sidelined for weeks with injuries, Duncan Robinson a shell of himself because of a back injury and Kevin Love almost unplayable because of his struggles when Miami plays zone defense against Boston.
As for Jaquez, he said he will know more about the injury on Wednesday and was non-committal about whether he would be able to play in Game 5. Spoelstra said “we’ll find out” the extent of the injury on Wednesday, which Jaquez said he sustained when we rose for a rebound in the third quarter.
Boston had been fully healthy before losing center Kristaps Porzingis to what was announced as calf tightness late in the second quarter.
Playing before Inter Miami star Lionel Messi and another sellout crowd, the Heat trailed by double figures for the final 44 minutes of the game.
As was the case in Saturday’s 104-84 loss to Boston, the Heat again shot blanks, repeatedly missing open shots.
Miami shot 16 or 45 from the field and 3 for 16 on threes in falling behind 53-36 at the half.
Adebayo did all he could, with 25 points, 17 rebounds and five assists on an 11 for 22 shooting night.
Herro played well early and then late, delivering 19 points and four assists and shooting 8 for 17. But he also had five turnovers that were hurtful.
There was little in support, certainly not enough during a first half when the Heat’s other 10 available players combined for 15 points on 6 for 24 shooting.
Caleb Martin (18 points) was the only Heat player who scored in double figures besides Adebayo and Herro.
Meanwhile, the Heat was outscored by seven in Love’s 1:44 first half minutes. By that point, Miami had been outscored by 31 points in Love’s 26 minutes in this series.
Robinson, who hasn’t been the same since a back injury in March, missed his only shot in three scoreless minutes.
The Celtics won comfortably without huge nights from Tatum (20 points, 5 for 14 shooting) and Jaylen Brown (17 points, 7 for 18 shooting).
Per TNT, Adebayo had some “choice words” for teammates after Miami’s 104-84 Game 3 loss, and Love implored teammates that they “can’t go out” like this.
None of those words made the least bit of difference, not against a vastly superior opponent and not on a night the Heat shot threes as if they were blindfolded.
One constant in this string of Heat home playoff losses: poor three-point shooting. Miami shot 31.4 percent and 32 percent on threes in its Game 3 and 4 home losses to Denver in the NBA Finals last June. Miami shot 9 for 28 on threes (32.1 percent) in Game 3 against Boston on Saturday.
Ahead 13-12 early, the Celtics once again eviscerated the Heat’s zone defense in a 16-2 run spearheaded by White.
At one point, White had nearly as many points in the first quarter (16) as the Heat, on 4 for 5 shooting.
It was 34-24 after a quarter, with only Herro’s nine points and three assists keeping the Heat momentarily afloat.
But there wasn’t nearly enough offensive firepower for the Heat to keep up.
The Heat shot 5 for 22 from the field and 1 for 7 on threes during a demoralizing second quarter that saw the Celtics extend their lead to 53-36 at the half.
Many of the Heat’s missed threes were open looks, which made the night even more demoralizing.
By the team Boston stretched its lead to 71-45, Miami was just 4 for 23 on threes.
Miami shot 39 percent in the third quarter and trailed 81-59 after three.
A couple of 7-0 runs fueled a late Heat surge, but Miami could never close within single digits.
This story was originally published April 29, 2024 9:58 PM.
