Celtics hurt again by late-game woes, down 2-0 against Heat - ESPN

BOSTON — Over the past two postseasons, the Boston Celtics have repeatedly responded well after losses. They have also repeatedly struggled in close situations late in games.

In control for significant portions of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat on Friday night, the Celtics appeared poised to even this series at a game apiece, but another late-game meltdown has them staring at an 0-2 deficit as this series heads to Miami for Game 3 on Sunday night.

«At the end of the day, we have a real, real decision to make,» Celtics forward Grant Williams said. «And that decision is going to be, are we going to come back and really set the tone for the rest of this year and really make a statement, or are we going to come out and lay down?

»And I don't think this team is built for laying down."

Whether or not the Celtics are ready to lie down, they find themselves in a massive hole after Jimmy Butler and the Heat once again took them apart in the closing moments of the game.

In the fourth quarter of Game 1 on Wednesday night, the Heat held Boston scoreless for over four minutes and forced three turnovers — including two traveling violations by Jayson Tatum — inside the final three minutes.

In Game 2, after Williams had a dunk with 3 minutes, 52 seconds remaining, the Celtics didn't make a field goal the rest of the night, missing their final four shots and committing two turnovers. They essentially had a third turnover on an over-the-back call against Al Horford and saw Tatum nearly lose the ball multiple other times in the closing minutes.

That allowed Miami to close the game with a 24-9 run over the final 6 minutes, 37 seconds. Butler scored nine of his 27 points in the fourth, and Bam Adebayo — who