Jaylen Brown wasn鈥檛 sure what happened when he saw Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum take a from the Heat's Caleb Martin and crash to the TD Garden floor late in Boston鈥檚 first round over Miami on Sunday.
鈥淚 see a guy go down, I鈥檝e got my guy鈥檚 back 鈥� 10 times out of 10,鈥� Brown said Tuesday. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 tell what鈥檚 what in the heat of the moment. But it looked like something a little extra, so I said something. But it looked like it was just basketball, it wasn鈥檛 intentional. So, we keep moving.鈥�
Physicality is up so far in the playoffs and referees have been letting a lot of contact go 鈥� to the consternation of and , among others. But the Celtics are embracing it.
Boston will hope to maintain its physical advantage over Miami in Game 2 on Wednesday night while also expecting to see adjustments from a Heat team that struggled offensively with Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck) sidelined.
The Celtics did to Miami what they did to opponents throughout the season, launching and connecting on a deluge of 3-pointers that helped put the Heat in a 34-point hole.
Boston also was more active under the basket, winning the rebounding battle 44-34.
鈥淚f you think you鈥檙e not going to see a different version of Miami, then you鈥檙e kidding yourself,鈥� Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged that must start with addressing the disparity in 3-point shooting.
Boston averaged an NBA-high 42.5 attempts per game this season and had 49 in Game 1, making 22. Miami attempted 37 3s 鈥� above its regular-season average of 33.7 鈥� and made 12.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to bring their 3s down to 25, that鈥檚 not realistic. And we鈥檙e not going to shoot 50. But there is a balance there,鈥� Spoelstra said.
West top seed Oklahoma City would like to have a less stressful outing after narrowly escaping in its opener against New Orleans.
The Pelicans were without star Zion Williamson, but controlled the tempo for most of the game. OKC survived thanks to a big night from MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged his team's offense wasn鈥檛 at the level he鈥檇 like, but thinks it was a good start for a group that had seven players participating in their first playoff game.
鈥淲e got some good looks on some plays, some we can learn from,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese series are long and you have to improve throughout the series.鈥�
HEAT at CELTICS
Boston leads 1-0. Game 2, 7 p.m. EDT, TNT
鈥� NEED TO KNOW: The Celtics looked like the NBA鈥檚 top team in Sunday鈥檚 series opener, getting a triple-double from Tatum and tying a franchise playoff record with 22 3-pointers in their 114-94 victory. Boston let up off the gas a little in the fourth quarter, allowing Miami to cut into a 34-point deficit. But with Butler sidelined, the Heat couldn鈥檛 match Boston鈥檚 firepower. Bam Adebayo did his best carrying the offensive load with 24 points. But Miami鈥檚 best healthy shooter, Tyler Herro, was 4 of 13 from the field.
鈥� KEEP AN EYE ON: The Celtics鈥� response to Martin鈥檚 foul on Tatum late in Game 1 is worth noting. Boston鈥檚 players clearly want to establish their toughness early this postseason. It will be worth watching to see whether that play affects how tightly referees call the rest of the series.
鈥� INJURY WATCH: The Heat will again be without Butler, Rozier and Josh Richardson (shoulder). Celtics reserve center Luke Kornet is also expected to be out again with a strained right calf.
鈥� PRESSURE IS ON: Actually, it鈥檚 the Celtics. The opener saw Boston continue its dominance at home this season. The Celtics entered the playoffs aware they were carrying championship expectations and don鈥檛 want to let up in Game 2 as they try to make this a quick series against the short-handed Heat.
PELICANS AT THUNDER
Thunder lead 1-0. Game 2, 9:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
鈥� NEED TO KNOW: The Thunder held on in Game 1 despite getting outrebounded 52-44 and giving up 20 rebounds to Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas. The Thunder shot 11 fewer field goals than the Pelicans and couldn鈥檛 push the pace like they usually do because they struggled to get boards and forced only 14 turnovers. Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder overcome their sluggish play by scoring 28 points on 11-of-24 shooting.
鈥� KEEP AN EYE ON: Thunder center Chet Holmgren鈥檚 matchup with Valanciunas. Holmgren struggled at times with Valanciunas鈥� strength. But Holmgren, a slender rookie who is giving up at least 60 pounds, had his moments with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. He missed several shots early in Game 1 and was able to get where he wanted. If Holmgren gets hot early, the Thunder will be hard to stop.
鈥� INJURY WATCH: The Pelicans will remain without Williamson. New Orleans' leading scorer is shelved with a strained left hamstring. The Pelicans could have used his offense in Game 1 as they scored just 92 points on 38.5% shooting.
鈥� PRESSURE IS ON: Oklahoma City. The Thunder barely escaped Game 1, and a loss at home in Game 2 could allow doubt to creep in for a team whose oldest starters are 25. The Thunder are favored by 7 1/2 points, .
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AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
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AP NBA:
Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press
