Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon believes that the team is better than the Miami Heat despite trailing them 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Malcolm Brogdon: “We still believe we’re the better team. Now we have to prove it.” #Celtics #Heat.
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) May 22, 2023
Obviously, Brogdon is going to be confident in his team, but the Celtics have struggled mightily against the Heat, losing twice at home before getting blown out in Miami on Sunday night.
Brogdon, who was acquired by Boston last offseason in a trade with the Indiana Pacers, did not score in Game 3. He finished the game 0-for-6 from the field (0-for-3 from beyond the arc) with two rebounds and two assists.
Despite being the No. 8 seed in the East this season, Miami has dominated in the playoffs, losing just three games against the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Celtics combined.
The Heat have also yet to lose at home in the playoffs, going a perfect 6-0.
Sunday’s 26-point win showed that Miami can beat up on this Celtics team, even though Boston was heavily favored coming into the series.
The Sixth Man of the Year for the 2022-23 season, Brogdon has been solid for the Celtics this postseason, averaging 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Boston needs him and stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to play much better than they did in Game 3 of this series if the team wants any chance of coming back.
The Heat have been counted out by just about everyone but themselves this entire playoff run. The Celtics may still think that they can beat this Miami team, but the Heat appear to be locked in on both ends of the floor.
This is the third time in four years that these teams have faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Miami could take the series for the second time in three tries with just one more win over the next four games.
Game 4 between the Heat and Celtics is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday night in Miami. With a win, the Heat would advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since the league’s Orlando, Fla. bubble in the 2019-20 season.
