Heat go one-up on the Celtics in the East
Jimmy Butler's 35 points and a scorching third quarter propelled the eighth-seeded Miami Heat to a 123-116 victory over the Celtics on Wednesday in game one of the NBA Eastern Conference finals in Boston. The Heat erased a 13-point second-quarter deficit to snatch home court advantage from the Celtics, out-scoring Boston 46-25 in the third period to seize control. Jayson Tatum, the 51-point hero of Boston's game-seven victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, scored 30 points, but he coughed up two crucial turnovers in the final minutes as the Heat turned the defensive screws. It's the third time in four years that the Heat and Celtics are meeting in the conference finals. Last year Miami were the top seeds in the East while this year the Heat shook off an injury plagued regular season to come through the play-in before knocking off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. The Celtics, who edged Miami 4-3 last year, are again seeded second as they try to get back to the NBA Finals after falling in the championship series last season to the Golden State Warriors. (AFP)