Have Celtics learned their lesson from Game 1 loss to Heat?

BOSTON — The Celtics won three out of four quarters of Wednesday night’s Game 1, as Joe Mazzulla made sure to tell everybody. But they lost the game.

While there were multiple reasons for that loss, WBZ.com’s Michael Hurley said a lot of it had to do with the Celtics getting a little bit overwhelmed by the force delivered by Jimmy Butler and his Heat teammates.

“It’s one thing to be prepared for Jimmy Butler and the Heat, and it’s another thing to actually face them and deal with that relentless force that those guys are,” WBZ.com’s Michael Hurley said. “And that team is fearless, and that team is gutsy. And you can prepare for it all you want, but once you’re on the court and it’s actually happening, it can be harder to handle. And they didn’t handle it well. So, now they know what they’re up against, and I think that will help them moving forward.”

There’s also the element of the Celtics rarely taking the easy route when it comes to playoff basketball.

“It’s either a point of frustration or a silver lining, depending on your outlook, but that’s kind of who the Celtics are,” Hurley said. “If they can make it harder on themselves, they tend to do it. It’s almost like their engines don’t start revving until they’re in a hole.”

As for Game 2 and whether the Celtics can get back on equal footing and head to Miami in a 1-1 series, Hurley believes that will be the case.

“The Celtics like to maybe make it harder, but they don’t lose two games in a row at home. They’re 4-4 at home, which is baffling. But they haven’t lost two straight home games,” Hurley said. “The Heat are 4-3 on the road but haven’t won two straight road games [in the same series]. So just based on the history, these teams have surges, they have dips. I do think the Celtics will play a much better game. And like I said, they know what they’re up against. They’ll be a little bit better. They were prepared, I think, but I think they’ll be a little better physically prepared to handle that. So I’m thinking it goes to Miami 1-1, and really, I think we’re in for a long series.”