Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat’s defense stifle Boston Celtics in Game 1 victory
The Miami Heat ripped Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals from the Boston Celtics in the third quarter.
Jimmy Butler scored 27 of his 41 points after the break, and Miami's defense locked down Boston to flip an eight-point halftime deficit into a 17-point lead by the end of the third quarter in a 118-107 conquest.
The Celtics lost Al Horford to health and safety protocols in the hours before the series started and ruled Marcus Smart out with the right mid-foot sprain he Houston Texans Jerseys suffered in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series. Whether they ran out of gas two days after their hard-fought battle with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks or succumbed to Miami's relentlessness, the Celtics collapsed after halftime and never recovered.
The Heat, who were als...