BOSTON — This is a different Celtics team. Not just in terms of personnel, but conceivably mentality and maturity, too.
Without Jimmy Butler on the court, it’s a different Miami Heat team as well. But considering the way Boston performed in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first round playoff series against those rebels in red, it shouldn’t matter.
The Celtics are simply a better basketball team. They were locked in from the jump, eager and hungry to take advantage of a depleted Miami team that had to claw its way through a pair of play-in games just to draw this seemingly inevitable matchup.
Jaylen Brown, who has largely silenced the haters this season, set the tone early by swishing his first 3-point attempt before gracefully spinning his way to the cup for an emphatic two-handed slam moments later.
That was part of a swift 14-0 Celtics’ start, one that ultimately propelled them to a convincing 114-94 win at TD Garden Sunday afternoon.
“I thought the guys did a tremendous job staying with the game plan,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “There were some minor adjustments there, some things that we have to do better, but I think that’s the balance, right? Understanding that we played relatively well, but we have to be better because we know they’re going to play better.”
Did Boston play a perfect game? No.
Would it have been nice to see the starters pulled down the stretch, give them some additional rest and let the reserves close things out? Yes.
But for the most part they matched Miami’s patented physicality, and every Celtics player that took the court did his part.
Jayson Tatum (23 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) wasn’t particularly efficient from the field, but did a bit of everything en route to his first career playoff triple double.
Derrick White was a team-best +24 in his 33 minutes, serving as a disruptor defensively while scoring 20 points. Kristaps Porzingis was immense in the paint defensively, blocking two shots and altering many others; his ability to shoot over the top of any Heat player — all-world defender Bam Adebayo included — is something Boston’s offense has lacked in recent postseasons, and that was clear as day on Sunday.
And how about the bench? Sam Hauser played just 14 minutes but knocked down 4-of-6 from deep for 12 points. Payton Pritchard (8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists) and Al Horford (10 points, 7 rebounds) were effective, too.
“The bench in general, that’s been the identity of our team all year. So you can’t get into the playoffs and shut those guys out,” said Mazzulla, who gave 24-plus minutes to both Horford and Pritchard. “You gotta give them their run because they just bring a different dynamic to the game. Even some of the guys that didn’t play have to be ready.
“It’s only one game; every series takes on a life of its own. But we need our bench, need our depth to maximize this opportunity that we have.”
It was a wire-to-wire victory and Boston led by as many as 34 points. Even with a big lead, their focus and attention to detail remained high throughout.
At one point in the third quarter, with the Celtics up by 20-plus, Jrue Holiday sprinted towards the baseline, corralled a loose ball, and tossed it off a Heat player while avoiding stepping out of bounds to give his team an extra possession.
A few plays later, the Celtics’ defense forced a Miami 24-second violation. That kind of sustained energy in a runaway clash is extremely positive.
“It was definitely a fun game … We came out the right way. We were the first ones to punch them and we got off to a good start,” said Porzingis.
Boston had the upper hand in virtually every statistical category while tying a franchise playoff record with 22 threes (shooting them at 45 percent). White, Holiday and others held Miami sharpshooter Tyler Herro to just 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting.
It was the type of playoff opening performance Celtics’ fans hoped for and expected.
Miami isn’t going to lay down and give this series to Boston. It’s not in their DNA. But even if the Heat execute a flawless game plan and their remaining stars (Adebayo and Herro) explode, it’s hard to imagine them keeping pace with the juggernaut Cs.
Strap yourself in, because this could be the beginning of an historic ride to Banner 18.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.