The Celtics were beaten 128-102 by a rampant Miami on Monday to fall 3-0 down in the series and staring at the exit door little under a year on from losing to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Mazzulla’s side fell shy in all departments as they shot just 39.8 per cent from the field to the Heat’s 56.8, as well as 26.2 per cent from behind the arc compared to Miami’s 54.3.
The hosts led by as many as 33 points at one stage in the game as Gabe Vincent led the way with 29 points.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Brown said after the game.
“It’s an obvious letdown. I feel like we let our fan base, organisation down. We let ourselves down.
And it was collective. We can point fingers, but in reality, it was just embarrassing.”
Jayson Tatum, who had erupted in Boston’s decisive Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the Conference semi-finals, managed just 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for the Celtics after shooting six of 18 from the field.
For all of his and the Celtics’ supremacy from deep to sink Philly, it has been from downtown where they have struggled against the Heat, with Boston currently shooting 29.2 per cent from three-point range in the series.
“I deleted Twitter from my phone to start the playoffs,” he noted.
“Honestly, I haven’t seen anything good, bad or indifferent since Game 1 against the Hawks.
I’m certain after every game you win, you’re the best player and the best team, and when you lose, you’re not the star and the team is not good enough.
“I’m certain there will be some of that, but out of sight, out of mind. You don’t see it, because that’s not what’s important.
What’s important is the guys in the locker room, team-mates, coaches, and we’re all in this together just trying to figure it out.”
