Celtics too hot for Heat, Tatum makes royal history, Jaylen Brown delivers

The Boston Celtics are just too hot to handle.

Just the Miami Heat, who not only had to deal with the hot shooting of the Celtics, but also had to deal with the hot hand of Jayson Tatum who poured in 49 points while knocking down 15 of his 25 shot attempts.

Granted the Heat were without Jimmy Butler, but they are a squad who always play the Celtics tough.  That was the case for much of the game as the Celtics finally ran away to a 134-121 victory in the first of the two-game set at TD Garden.

The Celtics jumped out to a quick 20-8 lead in the first quarter with both Tatum and Jaylen Brown flying on all cylinders.  The Heat punched back led by big man Bam Adebayo and some hot shooting from Miami behind the stripe.  The two teams went back and forth throughout the game, but it was Tatum, Brown and the Celtics that orchestrated a 16-6 run in the fourth quarter to finally extinguish the Heat.

Boston Celtics extinguish the Miami Heat when it counts

With both teams shooting over 50 percent in the game, it was the Celtics stars who were the difference in this one.  Tatum was on fire, Brown did his thing, but what set Boston apart was key contributions from veterans Al Horford, Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart who dished out 9 assists in the victory.

In scoring 130 points for the third consecutive game, the Celtics are simply outscoring teams, but as Adebayo proved, the team does need to beef it up inside.  The eventual return of Rob Williams should help, but defensively they do need to protect the paint better, especially when the shots at the other end aren’t falling.

But, in all, when a team has a superstar like Tatum doing everything on the court, any flaws on the team seem manicure.

Celtics player of the game: Jayson Tatum is just too elite

Speaking of Jayson Tatum, boy did this guy get off to a good start and obviously a good finish for the Boston Celtics in front of Price William and Princess Kate.

With the chants of M-V-P echoing throughout the TD Garden, Tatum poured in a total of 49 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the victory.  Impressively, every time the Heat threw their punch, it was Tatum who always had an answer just like a superstar leader does.

It was an absolute show for Tatum who showed off his dynamic ability to score from all over the court.  From knocking down 3’s, to driving to the hoop to setting up his teammates, this showdown with the Heat was all about Tatum and his effort was applauded by the M-V-P chants, which made him feel a special kind of way.

"“That means everything,” Tatum told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin following the game.  “That’s something I’ve dreamed about as a kid, and to hear it in front of our home crowd from the best fans in the world, it holds a special place in my heart. “I love this place, I love being here, and hearing that during the game gives you chills.”"

Those words must warm the heart of every Boston Celtics fans.  Not only does he sound like a player committed to winning, he sounds like a rising superstar committed to winning in Boston.

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With that, Tatum also made history on Wednesday night by becoming the first player in NBA history to record multiple games scoring over 45 points, grabbing over 10 rebounds, and connecting on 8 or more 3 pointers in a game.  Hard to believe he is the first, but it’s a feat that makes this player very special.

Celtics highlight of the game: Jaylen Brown closes it out

The night wasn’t all about Jayson Tatum.  His counterpart Jaylen Brown picked his spot to sink the Heat in this game.

Dealing with found trouble most of the night, Brown still added 26 points, seven rounds and five assists in this game.

Along with Tatum and Al Horford, JB was huge in the team putting the game away in the fourth quarter.  In that 16-6 run, Brown scored 5 of those points, including a key dunk in the game that pushed a 6-point lead with under 5 minutes to go up to 8.

More importantly, the basket was catapulted by great defensive effort at the other end.  As Tyler Herro drove under the hoop and attempted a kick out, Horford intercepted the pass which triggered the key Boston Celtics fast break.

After sitting out Monday’s game with a stiff neck, it was good to see Jaylen Brown out there dunking and making clutch plays in the fourth quarter.

Both stars took turns sitting out games earlier in the week, but it is evident with Tatum and Brown are both on the court and at the top of their games, this Boston Celtics team is very hard to beat, especially with the role players gaining confidence with each win.