Tonight’s game tips from the Kaseya Center at 8:30 p.m. You can watch on TNT.
We’ll be offering live updates and analysis throughout. Follow along for insight from Chad Finn, Nicole Yang, Khari Thompson, and Conor Ryan.
Celtics-Heat: Game 4 live updates
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The Heat are daring the Celtics to shoot mid-range jumpers. That’s why they’re up 3-0. — 7:00 p.m.
By Julian Benbow
The itinerary five years ago at the Coaching U Live clinic in Las Vegas had Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra scheduled to teach some of the finer points of pick-and-roll coverages to coaches from across the country, but he couldn’t resist the urge to offer his observations on where the game was churning in 2018.
Spoelstra paced around the free throw line as he pointed out what was growing in the game (pick-and-rolls) and what was dying (post-ups and mid-range jumpers).
“It’s almost becoming a negative word, ‘mid-range,’ ” Spoelstra said. “Everybody, all they talk about now is threes, layups, and free throws.”
He asked his audience a reasonable question.
“Well, if everybody’s trying to get those, what is everybody also trying to take away?”
The answer, of course, was threes, layups, and free throws.
“Eventually,” Spoelstra said, “what’s getting open a lot is this area here.”
Realizing where he was on the floor, Spoelstra used his hands to draw circles to spotlight the mid-range area.
“You’re seeing fewer and fewer players that are really able to really maximize this area and make an opponent pay,” he said. “You want to talk about something in player development? Don’t listen to all that hype that it can only be threes and layups and free throws. If you find a difference-maker that can really make a difference in here, that guy or girl is pretty special.”
Five years after making clear his stance on the value of the mid-range game, Spoelstra and the Heat are making an example of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. Read the rest of the story here.
Jimmy Butler fined after Game 3 — 6:45 p.m.
Miami’s Jimmy Butler was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for not participating in required media availability after Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Butler did not talk to reporters following the Heat’s 128-102 victory on Sunday night that gave them a 3-0 lead over the Celtics.
NBA TV, which has been televising the postgame press conferences, teased that Butler would be coming to the podium during its coverage, but the star forward never appeared. Gabe Vincent, Bam Adebayo, and Caleb Martin instead followed coach Erik Spoelstra. — Associated Press
With the Celtics in a 3-0 series hole, it’s time for some perspective from the expert — 6:30 p.m.
When your team is down three games to zero, and all seems lost, there’s only one man to call.
Kevin Millar.
As soon as the Celtics succumbed, 128-102, in Game 3 Sunday, Millar knew his phone was going to blow up.
Read Dan Shaughnessy’s column here.
Chad Finn can be reached at chad.finn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeChadFinn. Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her on Twitter @nicolecyang. Khari Thompson can be reached at khari.thompson@globe.com. Conor Ryan can be reached at conor.ryan@globe.com.