The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 109-103 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Here are the major takeaways from the game:

1.     Miami must play through Bam Adebayo

Adebayo had been nearly non-existent in the opening two games of this series, combining for just 16 total points in Game 1 & 2. However, in Game 3 the Heat consistently played through Bam on the offensive end and it paid off.

Adebayo finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. He did it all on both ends as Miami were forced to play the entire second half without Jimmy Butler.

Bam is a major offensive threat; the Heat must continue to utilize his talents on offense to put the team in position for Butler to close out games in the fourth.

2.     The Heat need Kyle Lowry on the floor

Kyle Lowry missed the opening two games of this series due to a hamstring injury, but he showed his value to the team in Game 3. He only scored 11 points, but his 6 assists and 4 steals highlighted the value he brings on both ends of the floor.

The pace of the Heat’s offense went up a notch with Lowry at the point, which allowed the Heat to build such a big first half lead. Then his control with the ball in hand at the end of the game helped the team knock off the Celtics comeback.

Lowry is not the player he once was, but the Heat are still a better team with him on the floor. They need his hamstring to hold up if they want to win this series and compete in the finals.

3.     Big leads mean nothing in 2022

We have seen multiple big-time comebacks so far in these playoffs and Boston were close to completing a huge one themselves on Saturday.

The Celtics were down by as many as 26 points in the first half but had closed the gap to just one point midway through the fourth quarter. And although they ultimately couldn’t complete the comeback, they got closer than they ever should have.

In the NBA in 2022 no lead is safe; the game isn’t over until the final buzzer goes!

4.     Scoring of Jaylen Brown is crucial in this series

Jayson Tatum is the Boston Celtics star player and lead scorer, but Jaylen Brown is their second option and when Tatum is struggling, he must be able to step up, as he did on Saturday with 40 points on 14/20 shooting from the field.

Tatum led the Celtics in scoring in the opening two games of the series but was struggling greatly in Game 3 and Brown had to step up. Without the scoring of Brown, the game would have been a blow-out.

While Boston ultimately could not get the win, there will be more moments in this series where Brown will have to step up and score big, him being able to do that may just decide the outcome of this series.

5.     This series is going to a Game 7

The Boston Celtics are coming off a grueling back and forth series with the Milwaukee Bucks that went 7 games, and this series looks set to go the exact same way.

This series has ebbed and flowed, with singular quarters and individual plays deciding the outcome of games.

Boston have yet to lose back-to-back games in these playoffs and have looked the better team in this series, but they are down 2-1. This Miami team are well coached and do not give up. This series will be decided by the dreaded Game 7.

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