[ad_1]
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – Tyler Herro should still be in college. He is not, but he is still a student.
He carries a red spiral-bound notebook with him at all times, jotting down notes when it comes to mind. What worked, what didn’t, where you think you can improve and how you feel after a match.
“It helps me lock myself in, it helps me focus,” Herro said.
Whatever he read on Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time) helped him put together the game of his life and lead the Miami Heat to an NBA Finals victory. Herro, 20, scored 37 points, a Heat rookie record, and the Heat beat the Boston Celtics, 112-109, on Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time) in game four of the finals. of the Eastern Conference.
“He’s got a lot of competitive humility,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s confident. He’s got a bravery that’s rare. But he’s humble enough to work, to be trainable, to be mentored by the veteran players we have on our team, and he just continues to gain more confidence as we go.”
Continue reading below ↓
Recommended Videos
Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Goran Dragic added 22 and Bam Adebayo, dealing with some shoulder pain, had 20 points and 12 rebounds to help the Heat take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. They can shut it down Friday night in Game 5.
Jayson Tatum scored his 28 points in the second half for the Celtics. They erased a double-digit deficit to take a one-point lead in the fourth, then watched the Heat flee again. Jaylen Brown scored 21 points, Kemba Walker added 20, Gordon Hayward had 14 and Marcus Smart finished with 10 points and 11 assists.
“I didn’t score in the first half. That’s unacceptable,” Tatum said. “I know I have to play better. That’s what I tried to do.”
Brown’s 3-pointer with 16 seconds left reduced Miami’s lead to 107-104. Herro hit the line 2.1 seconds later and coldly waved a pair, stretching the lead back to five. The Celtics got within two points twice, Butler hit a free throw with 1.1 seconds to go, and Boston, outside of timeouts, never had a desperate shot.
“At the end of the day, we have to find a way,” Walker said. “That’s really all we can do. We can do it. It’s about pride. It’s about wanting to do it. In the next game we have to go out there and prove it.”
Herro hit 14 of 21 shots from the floor, 5 of 10 from 3-point range and became the second 20-year-old in NBA playoff history to score at least 37 points in a game. The other: Magic Johnson, who had 42 in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals for the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I feel good,” Herro said. “There is still a lot of work to do. We are up 3-1.”
And the Heat’s rookie playoff record was 27 by Dwyane Wade in 2004; now belongs to Herro, who scored 17 points in the fourth alone.
Daniel Theis scored with 8:44 left to put Boston up 85-84, the Celtics’ first lead since 25-24 with 11:19 left in the second quarter. It was Boston’s only advantage in the second half and lasted just 16 seconds. Adebayo scored to give Miami the lead, and Herro basically carried the load from there.
“Herro’s shooting tonight was … the difference in the game,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Jimmy was late. Adebayo was his typical self. Dragic made some big plays. But Herro was ridiculously good tonight. That edge must have looked like the ocean.
The Celtics shot exactly 8 of 20 in each of the first two quarters and that, combined with 11 turnovers, helped the Heat go into halftime with a 50-44 lead.
But Tatum’s first basket after a 0-for-7 start sparked what became a 6-for-7 finish in the third quarter for him, he had 16 of Boston’s 32 points in that span and the Celtics were within range. 77-76 before the fourth.
The Heat, behind their youngest player, would not retire.
“Nothing Tyler does surprises me,” Adebayo said.
TIPS
Celtics: Tatum’s first half 0-for-6 tied for the second-worst pitch of his career in the first half. He was 0 of 8 to start against Dallas on November 11, and 0 of 6 against Milwaukee in the first two quarters of a playoff game on April 17, 2018 … It was announced before the game that Hayward and his wife Robyn are parents for the fourth time; Gordon Theodore Hayward is his first child.
Heat: Dragic tripled with 8:51 remaining in the third quarter for a 58-46 lead, Miami’s first double-digit lead in the series. The Heat’s biggest lead in the first three games was eight points. … Solomon Hill got the minutes of the first quarter for the first time in these playoffs.
LANGFORD OUT
No one knows when next season will start, but the Celtics anticipate that point guard Romeo Langford might not be ready when he does. Langford underwent surgery this week to repair a ligament problem in his wrist. “He’ll probably bleed out next season, as long as he starts,” Stevens said.
3-1 LEADS
This is the 12th time Miami has taken a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series. The Heat won each of the previous 11.
MORE OF SPIN
Spin fans join the Spin Viber community! Join the growing community now and complete the experience by subscribing to the Spin Chatbot.
