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Derrick White and Jaylen Brown had 25 points apiece to lead the Celtics, who were playing their first game since center Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined with a calf strain. Boston shot 54.5 percent from the field and raced to an 18-point first-quarter lead that was never threatened. Get Garden Party A seasonal pop-up newsletter covering everything you need to know about the Celtics' and Bruins' postseasons. Bam Adebayo had 23 points to lead the 8th-seeded Heat, who were never able to overcome the absences of Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck). On Wednesday, Miami was also without rookie standout Jaime Jaquez Jr. (hip). For the Celtics, it was a chance to exact a slight measure of revenge after getting ousted by Miami in last season's conference finals, but their goals are quite a bit bigger than that. Observations from the game: ▪ It was no surprise that Al Horford moved back into his starting spot in place of Porzingis. Miami's options were limited, but it seemed quite focused on finding mid-range jumpers for Adebayo, who no longer had to deal with the wingspan of the 7-foot-2 Porzingis. His shots helped keep the Heat somewhat close early, but it wasn't a sustainable approach against a Celtics team that was pouring in 3-pointers. Backup center Luke Kornet held up well against Adebayo during his second-quarter stint. ▪ Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has harped on the importance of physicality and intensity, and he had to be pleased with how the Celtics approached those areas from the jump against a clearly overmatched opponent. On one play, the ball was careening out of bounds off before Jrue Holiday dashed toward it at the last second and flipped it high in the air as he fell toward the front row of seats. Brown then leapt and beat two Heat players to the loose ball before driving into the lane for a layup, much to the crowd's delight. During one second-quarter sequence, Horford outmuscled the Heat for a pair of offensive rebounds after he missed a 3-pointer and was fouled on the second one. Afterward, he flexed and yelled, and the fans erupted. It was a slice of the playoff basketball Mazzulla loves. ▪ Do first quarters belong to Derrick White now? White poured in 16 points in the opening period of Game 4, helping the Celtics raced to a lead they never relinquished. He then erupted for 15 points in the first quarter of Game 5. Again, his baskets are not simply layups that are the result of double teams elsewhere. Both the degree of difficulty and his confidence level had been high. He roared through the lane for a one-handed dunk — his third in two games after having just 13 during the regular season—and poured in a tough step-back 3-pointer, helping the Celtics open up a 41-23 lead. ▪ It has become clear that Boston's Game 2 loss was just an aberration. The Celtics trailed for a grand total of one minute in the other four games. This was a mismatch in every sense. ▪ In the first half Mazzulla got a bit creative with substitution patterns with Porzingis out, especially regarding Jayson Tatum's playing time. The forward typically checks out midway through the first quarter for a brief break. He played the entire first quarter on Wednesday, which is not unusual. But the big shift followed that, when he came back onto the floor to start the second quarter. Tatum sat for just one minute in the opening half. Porzingis's absence may have played a part, but most of the other regulars their usual minutes. Sometimes the Celtics look to rev up Tatum with a heavy workload to prepare him for games later when that is what is needed. Of course, the lopsided score in this game took away that option. ▪ The Celtics look for advantages on just about every possession. Against some opponents, they're hard to find. But against this undermanned Heat team, they were everywhere. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra gave veteran Kevin Love a chance late in the first quarter, and the Celtics instantly hunted switches that resulted in him trying to guard Tatum. Boston's star forward had little trouble creating space and draining consecutive 3-pointers. Later, he found the 6-2 Patty Mills running with him in transition. The Celtics noticed it immediately, kicked the ball ahead, and Tatum converted an easy layup. With Love, Mills, Herro and a hobbled Duncan Robinson all getting looks, Miami never had the personnel to make this series competitive. ▪ It's hard to find weak spots in such a romp, but here's one: Tatum and Brown had combined to go 8 for 14 from the foul line. ▪ Mazzulla tends to take the approach that no lead is safe, so it was slightly out of character when he removed all of his starters with more than seven minutes left and Boston leading by 30, especially in a playoff game. It was absolutely the right call, however, especially with Porzingis already sidelined with an injury. Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.