As the Miami Heat distressed in the locker room following their Game 4 loss against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, “Mama Said” by Lukas Graham was being played in the locker room by none other than superstar forward Jimmy Butler.
The lyrics — “When Mama said that it was okay, Mama said that it was quite alright, Our kind of people had a bed for the night, And it was okay” represented Butler’s confidence after smiling on the bench with teammate Gabe Vincent in the closing seconds of Game 4.
It didn’t stop there. The 33-year-old forward, who had just been fined $25,000 for not speaking to reporters following Game 3, walked into the media room singing “No One” by Alicia Keys. Well, specifically this lyric — “I don’t worry ‘cause everything’s gonna be alright.”
There are obviously reasons to believe that Butler is not nervous yet. The Heat still hold a 3-1 series lead and remain one game away from the NBA Finals. It would take the Celtics making a historic comeback to end Miami’s season in the Eastern Conference finals.
The idea is definitely more realistic than it was before; however, what made this possible? Why did the Heat come out flat in Game 4 after taking a firm grip on the series just two nights before when Boston quit?
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Why the Miami Heat lost Game 4 against the Boston Celtics
The Heat entered Game 4 looking to make a statement with a massive sweep over the Celtics and the first half appeared to indicate that it was about to happen. Miami took a six-point lead into halftime and came out hot to make it a nine-point lead.
However, a few missed shots and Boston catching fire on offense proved to be too much. The Celtics went on a 16-0 scoring run and had a 38-point third quarter. This turned into a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Heat got the deficit down to five points but Jimmy Butler’s extended rest and Jayson Tatum’s return ended any hopes of a sweep on their home court. In fact, the numbers in the second half were staggering as Miami lacked energy while Boston took advantage.
The Celtics’ offense was electric as it scored 66 points compared to the Heat’s low total of 43 points in the second half. Quite frankly, a 23-point difference is too much to overcome as the offense was a major problem for Miami.
Butler had a final stat-line of 29 points, nine rebounds, and five rebounds on 9-of-21 shooting but it wasn’t until the third quarter that he performed at a high enough level on the offensive end of the floor. Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo only had 10 points and five rebounds with a shocking seven shots.
The Miami Heat’s star players didn’t play up to the set expectations and it affected everyone else. Miami shot 8-of-32 (25%) from the three-point line after being hot in the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals.
It is easy to understand why the Heat lost when that is combined with 15 turnovers. On the other side, Boston had its best night of the Eastern Conference finals by shooting 18-of-45 (40%) from beyond the arc and only committing 10 turnovers.
The entire Celtics rotation, outside of Malcolm Brogdon, played really well and might have turned a corner on both ends of the floor. Granted, most of Miami’s problems on the offensive side of the floor were self-inflicted.
The Heat are averaging 113.8 points per game in the 2023 NBA playoffs and it was just a rough night for them. They looked content with a 3-0 series lead while Boston was fighting for its season on the road.
It is important that Miami finds that lost energy because Game 5 will be a slugfest on the road. The team has won both games in Boston but the Celtics have not been in this type of position at home in the series yet.
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Miami Heat players, coaches remain confident in closing out the Boston Celtics
Miami started out Game 4 well after out-scoring Boston by six points in the first half but it quickly fell apart as the game continued in the second half. Despite these struggles, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t feel like there was a “let-down” in Game 4.
“I didn’t sense any of that,” Spoelstra said. “Our guys really want this but Boston has something to say about it as well. Sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. A lot of what we’ve done this year has been the hard way.”
The Heat’s offense just never found a rhythm over the course of the game. The 29-point first quarter ended up being the best period with a slight decrease in the number of points for the rest of the contest.
It is fair to say Miami may have gotten too comfortable after a blowout performance in Game 3. The energy was clearly not as high, specifically on the defense, and that is something that Butler alluded to in his post-game press conference.
“I think we let go of the rope on the defensive side of the ball, turned the ball over, didn’t get back in transition,” Butler said. “All the things we said we were going to do, we did not. That was the game. Our energy was low which we cannot have.”
This might be the wake-up call that Miami needed after winning three straight games in the Eastern Conference finals. History says the odds are still on the Heat’s side so if they do close out the series, it is better to have it happen now than in the NBA Finals.
However, it won’t be an easy task to put the Celtics away. The team has found its shooting stroke and if it is making three-point shots, it will be an uphill battle for Miami. Still, the Heat’s star isn’t worried about Boston building momentum.
“No. If anything, it will build momentum for us, knowing that we have to play with a lot more energy,” he said. “We have to play like our backs are against the wall. I think all year long we’ve been better when we’ve had to do things the hard way.”
This is something that Caleb Martin agreed with during his post-game interview. Martin said “everybody knows” the Heat typically don’t take the easy route and that it is “right up their alley.” It is hard to disagree with Martin as Miami has thrived when down double-digits in the fourth quarter during these playoffs.
There is still some concern from outside of the locker room that the Celtics could be on the cusp of really making things interesting with a Game 5 victory. So, what is Butler going to tell the team in an effort to avoid another low-energy performance?
“The only thing I’m going to say is: We’ll be OK. Let’s get back to doing what we’ve always done to get us to this point. Continually have belief in one another, knowing that we are going to win, and we will. We’ve just got to play harder,” Butler said. “There’s not too much to say with this group because we already know. We’ve just got to go out there and execute.”
It is easier said than done but this Heat team has continued to defy logic throughout its historic playoff run. An eighth seed should not have even been in the conversation of sweeping the Eastern Conference finals but it was a possibility.
If the Heat can fix their issues and perform with the needed energy for Game 5 on the road in Boston, Butler’s words of affirmation will not only end up being the chorus in the battle with Boston but also the war with the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.