MIAMI — The most improbable run in Heat playoff history now sits on the cusp of something that seemed unimaginable five weeks ago: a berth in the NBA Finals.
The Heat’s thoroughly dominant -- and dominantly thorough –- 128-102 Game 3 trouncing of the Boston Celtics on Sunday night left Miami ahead 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals and just one win away from the franchise’s seventh Finals appearance since 2006.
NBA teams that take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series are 149-0 all time.
This 11-4 Heat playoff run, after an uninspiring 44-38 regular season and play-in game loss to Atlanta, has been jaw-dropping at times, the way the eighth seeded Heat has rolled through the Milwaukee Bucks and now the Celtics, with a 7-1 record against those two teams that had the best records in the East this season.
On Sunday, the Heat not only won, but snatched the soul of a desperate Boston team, leading by as many as 33 in the third quarter, before a euphoric crowd at Kaseya Center. The Heat shot 57 percent from the field, while limiting Boston to 39 percent.
Game 3 was a continuation of the first two games in so many ways: very good Heat 3-point shooting (54 percent/19 of 35), poor Celtics three-point shooting (26 percent/11 for 42), damaging Celtics turnovers (15), exemplary work from Caleb Martin (18 points) and the Heat’s supporting cast, including a huge night Sunday from Gabe Vincent, who scored 29, and Duncan Robinson, who scored 22.
And, oh yes, this: Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo continued to outplay Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Heat’s defense has a lot to do with Tatum and Brown consistently coming up short after a season when Tatum was named first team All NBA and Brown was second team All NBA.
During one sequence midway through the third quarter, Adebayo blocked Tatum’s shot, and Martin then stole the ball from Tatum on Boston’s next possession, leading to a Max Strus three that put the Heat ahead 27.
Tatum and Brown combined to shoot just 9 of 24, including 1 for 7 on threes, with five turnovers in a first half that ended with the Heat ahead by 15.
They were even worse during the decisive third quarter when Miami stretched its lead from 15 to 33; Tatum shot 2 for 7 in the quarter and Brown 1 for 4; they combined for 0 for 7 shooting on threes in the third.
Tatum (14 points) closed 6 for 18 from the field, including 1 for 7 on threes. Brown (12 points) was 6 and 17 and missed all seven of his threes.
The Heat rolled without a dominant scoring game from Butler, who scored 16 in 31 minutes and chipped in eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Adebayo was very good for a third consecutive game; his numbers (13 points on just five field goal attempts, three rebounds) don’t begin to quantify his impact. His night included electrifying dunks off alley oops from Duncan Robinson and Max Strus, and a twirl around Brown for a tomahawk dunk.
Vincent’s jumper was pure all night; he shot 11 for 14 from the field, including 6 for 9 on threes.
The Heat bench entered having outscored teams by an absurd 156 points in the playoffs. Miami did it again Sunday; its reserves outscored Boston’s 25-10 in a first half that ended with the Heat ahead 15. The bench margin was 31-14 after three quarters.
Martin, who shot 17 for 27 in the first two games of the series, opened Game 3 by making his first three shots en route to closing 7 for 11 on an 18-point night that also included three rebounds, four assists and a steal. His 11 points and three assists in the first half were vital in the Heat building a 22-point second quarter lead.
Robinson - who made 5 of 7 threes - not only hit two threes in the second quarter, but dished out three assists and scored on two layups, including one when he drove past a Celtics defender and got to the basket.
Kevin Love scored the Heat’s first five points but departed after 4:47 with an ankle injury and never returned, though he warmed up before the second half. Martin started the third quarter in his place.
After winning three of four games in Miami during last year’s Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics never even seriously challenged after halftime.
Two big Heat runs pushed the Heat to a 22-point lead late in the first half.
The first of those, a 9-0 burst, was fueled by Martin’s eight first-quarter points and left the Heat ahead 30-20 late in the first half.
Miami then flourished in the non-Butler minutes – a trouble spot in the regular season – and outscored Boston by 12 points when Butler rested in the first half. Robinson was instrumental during those minutes, converting on two layups
Butler returned with the Heat up 14, and Miami promptly unleashed a 13-3 run, punctuated by a Robinson three, to go up 59-37. At that point, Boston was 4 for 13 on threes.
A 9-2 Celtics run to close the first half trimmed the Heat’s lead to 61-46 at the half, marking the Celtics’ third largest halftime deficit all year. The Heat outrebounded Boston 27-17 in that first half,
“I’m embarrassed for the Celtics, no mental toughness,” TNT’s Charles Barkley said at halftime.
For the Celtics, it got only worse from there.
Two threes from Vincent highlighted an 18-4 run that put the Heat up 79-54. The lead grew to 89-56 after a Celtics scoring drought that lasted nearly four minutes.
And the jubilant crowd at Kaseya Center got to enjoy extended garbage time in the fourth quarter.
