Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have spoken after Boston was stunned by a Jimmer Butler-less Miami team in Game 2 at home on Wednesday.
Addressing the media after the game, Tatum said it was more a case of the Heat playing well than the Celtics playing poorly.
“… We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Tatum said. “There’s a lot of history between these two franchises, especially recently. … It’s never going to go exactly as people expect it to go and that’s the beauty of it.”
“… You gotta give them credit … It wasn’t like we weren’t playing hard or connected.”
Jaylen Brown echoed a similar sentiment during his postgame media availability.
“It seemed we couldn’t get them to miss,” Brown said. “They had a record-breaking night. … They made a lot of shots that usually we’re comfortable with.”
“… I tip my hat off to the Heat. They shot the ball incredibly well. They put up more three-point attempts than we did tonight. They played with pace. They played faster. That was their response.”
It was an emphatic bounce-back game from the Heat, who made playoff franchise record 21 three-pointers.
Tyler Herro had a big night with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 14 assists, while Bam Adebayo and Caleb Martin scored 21 points each.
“It was a very good response,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And then we also made some shots. It always looks better when you make shots.”
The series is tied at 1-1 and will now head to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday.
READ MORE: NBA World Roasts Celtics For Losing to Shorthanded Heat at Home