- EQUALITY OF CONDITIONS
If it's about high competitiveness and close duels, there is no doubt that the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics respond to this motto, this was reflected throughout the first three disputes of the series and yesterday's fourth game was no exception. The confrontation between both teams not only reflects their parity in toughness but also in similar playing characteristics, to such an extent that the result of the game is always defined in the last seconds of the day.
In addition to that, the NBA bubble that excludes teams from the pandemic moment generates some neutrality by suppressing the home condition, the pressure of the fans, as well as the players and referees themselves. The duel started in the same way, where Butler and Smart quickly exchanged baskets to tie the assault by 2 points. The game continued to develop equitably, with both teams maintaining their focus and strategy on defense, resulting in the first quarter ending with a minimal difference of 24-23 in favor of the Heat, the quarter with the fewest points scored by both teams in the Playoffs so far.
The second quarter began and little by little the young man everyone is talking about began to forge his personal legend, writing the history of his own team. Tyler Herro scored 11 points at the start of the 2nd quarter, while his counterpart in the duel of young stars remained scoreless with 8 minutes left in the first half. Despite the bad night, Jayson Tatum was not intimidated by the moment and had to wait until the end of the third quarter to start scoring.
EVERYTHING FOR THE END
The first half ended 50-44 in favor of the Heat and with a poor performance by Marcus Smart, the 3rd quarter started with personal fouls problems for him. Tatum, on the other hand, still had no points, but the game remained close and undecided until the last minutes. For Miami, it was Herro - with 23 points at that moment - who stood up for his team with a three-pointer at the beginning of the last quarter, and for the Celtics, Kemba Walker responded from long distance, first reducing the lead and then putting Boston ahead by 84-83, with 8 minutes left to play.
With 16 seconds left, a sensational corner three-pointer made by Jaylen Brown compressed the game, leaving everything in suspense, 107-104. After two subsequent free throws made by Herro, the Celtics scored another three-pointer through Walker, reducing the deficit to 109-107 with 9 seconds remaining. The game was not decided until the last 6 seconds of play, when Jimmy Butler made 3 of the last 4 free throws of the game. Final score: Miami Heat 112, Boston Celtics 109.
Tatum, who had been scoreless for most of the game, activated the Mamba Mentality and finally led his team in scoring with 28 points, but it was not enough for his team, which is now walking on a tightrope and will have to make history to overcome a 1-3 deficit.
HE'S NOT A ROOKIE, HE'S A FIRST-YEAR PLAYER
Tyler Herro, who besides being the first player born in the 21st century to participate in Conference Finals, reached 13 postseason games with 10 or more points at the beginning of the second quarter, surpassing the legendary Dwyane Wade and equaling the record of none other than Manu Ginobili in his rookie year in 2003. We were all sure that the night, his night, was just beginning, and it was. Herro simply surpasses experience, don't call him a rookie, he's not one, he's a first-year player, a star in his rookie season taking responsibility for his team.
The Miami team is just one game away from competing again in the grand final in search of the championship and the coveted ring. Herro, in the game of his life, finished with 37 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds, shooting with an efficiency of 66.7% on 21 attempts. With that, he had the second-best scoring performance in the playoffs by a player under 21 years old, behind only an NBA legend like Magic Johnson. He became the youngest player in history to score more than 30 points coming off the bench.
Tyler Herro has scored 214 points as a rookie and substitute in the NBA Playoffs, second only to one player. Who holds the record? A certain Manu Ginobili with 226 points in 2003. Will the Heat's young player reach him?
If we talk more about the young star in his rookie year than the whole team, it's because today, in the Finals, the Miami Heat has a name and surname: Tyler Herro.
Tonight at 9pm, the Western Conference Finals continue, with the fourth game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. Don't miss tomorrow's recap on D10, the home of the NBA Finals in Paraguay.