Winderman’s View: Celtics Flex And Heat Find Themselves Out Of Counterpunches

MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday  night’s 104-84 NBA playoff loss to the Boston Celtics: – The outlier became evident on Saturday night. – When the shorthanded Heat are at their best and the favored Boston Celtics are at their worst, you get Wednesday night’s stunning, hot-shooting Heat victory at TD Garden. – When the Celtics play to the pedigree of the top regular-season record in the NBA, you get last Sunday’s Boston home romp and then Saturday’s road thrashing of the Heat. – Even with Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, the Heat would have had their hands full. – Without either, there just isn’t a lot there. – Butler still out with his knee issue, Rozier with his neck ailment. – From the outset Saturday, it was clear that the Celtics were going to make Game 2 Tyler Herro’s best game of the series. – Similarly, the Celtics made sure Saturday that Game 2 would stand as Kristaps Porzingis’ worst of the series. – It was as if Herro lost his way as a playmaker Saturday and Porzingis found his way to again stand tallest. – And while Erik Spoelstra dialed up every winning stratagem in his book in Game 2, the Celtics showed that talent ultimately trumps all. – As in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Porzingis, as well as Jrue Holiday being back to his pesky defensive best, on a night his offense wasn’t needed. – At the start of the series there was mockery that the Heat wouldn’t even win one. – Now the odds feel even longer that they won’t win another. – Which typically is how it is for No.