BOSTON — When all the Boston Celtics fans stayed in the Garden on Wednesday until the last second as they blew out the Miami Heat — it was because it was more than just a trip to the second round of the playoffs.

C’s beat the Heat 118-84, and it was clear that Celtics fans never took a second of the game for granted. The Heat were the ones who eliminated the Celtics last year in the Eastern Conference Finals in Game 7, they also beat the C’s in the ECF back in the bubble as well. It was a rivalry game that too many times the C’s were on the short side. So although the rest of the league knew the C’s were going to win, fans in Boston knew better than to overlook Erik Spoelstra’s basketball IQ.

The game itself didn’t have too much competitiveness. From the jump the Celtics began to look like the same team they were all season, hitting 3’s, moving the ball well, and also being aggressive on both sides of the floor. Boston outscored the Heat in the first quarter 41-23. By halftime, the C’s led 68-46.

Even with the absence of Kristaps Porzingis (Calf) the C’s still had a well-balanced game. Both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White each scored 25 points to lead the team. Jayson Tatum had 16 points, Sam Hauser’s late-game buckets had him finish with 17 points. Celtics shot 40% from behind the arc, and shot 54.5% from the field.

The Celtics are now 19-0 when holding teams under 100 points. Although Boston gets the recognition for their high-scoring, it was their defense that made the world of defense. They ran guards off the three-point line and played physical, especially Tyler Herro who had 15 points and shot 1-for-8 from deep. As a team, the Heat shot 10.3% from behind the arc.

If Orlando forced a Game 7 against the Magic, the Celtics’ next game would be Tuesday. However, If Cleveland wins in six games, Game 1 of Celtics-Cavs would be on Sunday. And because Porzingis’ status is unknown as far as timeline goes, it was important for the C’s to win this game. And in my opinion, the C’s got rid of their biggest eastern conference threat.