Th Celtics’ answer came in the form of a wire-to-wire 117-106 victory over the Heat that puts them back in the series, trailing, 2-1, with Game 4 taking place on Wednesday night.

Two nights earlier, they appeared to be a team that was reeling following two brutal losses plus some locker room turmoil.

The Celtics were facing a 2-0 deficit against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, and they were dealing with the fallout from a confrontation among teammates following Game 2 Thursday night.

Their season was basically on the line when Game 3 took place on Saturday night at Disney World since no NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit, and there was a question as to how the Celtics would react.

The answer came in the form of a wire-to-wire 117-106 victory over the Heat that puts the Celtics back in the series, trailing, 2-1, with Game 4 taking place on Wednesday night.

An aggressive offense and the return of Gordon Hayward after a 12-game absence due to a sprained right ankle added up to the Celtics rebounding in a big way.  

“This result really didn’t matter to me. It was more about what are we going to show ourselves to be,’’ said coach Brad Stevens. “I thought we were a really special group, a really good group and the first time we were pushed to more emotions that challenged us, we got better and that’s encouraged.

“Just a bunch of good people committed to each other. There were no special talks, no special things, no rah-rah speeches. It’s who you have in the locker room and are they committed to each other. Everybody gets pushed to emotions in sports. I was curious to see what would happen, but I didn’t have much doubt. I think this group has some good character.’’

There were reports that Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart were involved in some yelling in the locker room where items were reportedly thrown around. Stevens reportedly had an early Friday morning meeting with Brown, Smart, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker to help smooth things over.

After a day off, the Celtics were obviously ready to play, never trailing the Heat and holding on in the fourth quarter after a 20-point lead was whittled to five in the final minute.

“Just by honing in, focusing,’’ said Brown of how the Celtics were successful. “There’s some great guys in that locker room. A lot of emotion, a lot of passion, but we’re a family and we’re here for each other. 

“We exemplified that when we came out together. We stayed together during some tough moments. We kept our head high and persevered to win this game.’’

Jayson Tatum said the time in between games was “normal’’ and that it was just a matter of emotions running high after two losses in which they Celtics gave up 17 and 14-point leads.

“Anybody that plays sports, we’re not supposed to be happy being down 0-2,’’ said Tatum. “If you are, then you don’t care. We care about this. Basketball is a game of emotions. 

“You want guys to be frustrated, to be upset, to care. It’s nothing personal. It’s nothing more than that. Anybody that plays a team sport understands. We talked it out, figured it out and came together for the next game.’’

The Celtics dominated the paint, scoring 60 points, which ties the highest total by the Celtics in the last 20 postseasons.

They had four players score at least 20 points for only the second time in 25 years with Brown leading the way (26 points on 11 for 17 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists).

Tatum added 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, the fourth time in his playoff career that he’s registered at line of least 25-10-5. According to stat guru Dick Lipe, Tatum and LeBron James are the only two players younger than 23 years old to do that four times.

Walker scored 21 points with six rebounds while Smart added 20 points and six rebounds. Hayward, playing for the first time since Aug. 17, went 30 minutes off the bench and loosened up the offense with his playmaking, finishing with six points, five rebounds and four assists.

“I didn’t expect to play him that much,’’ said Stevens. “I thought he looked pretty good and we have four days off. He asked to come out a couple of times. The wind caught up to him a couple of times.

“I thought he did what he’s done all year. He didn’t shooting it as much but he is a stabilizing force for our team. He can make the right play, make a play for somebody else at the right time. He makes us better, that’s for sure.’’

The Celtics attacked the basket right from the opening minute and had an easier time dealing with the Miami zone with Brown being the most aggressive player. 

The Celtics were up, 31-22, after one quarter and the lead was 63-50 at halftime before they extended the gap to 81-62 during the third quarter, which ended with the Heat trailing, 89-74.

With 7:13 remaining, the Celtic were cruising at 100-80, but less than four minutes later, the Heat were within 104-94. A Walker 3-pointer and a Smart basket with 2:24 left pushed the Celtics up, 109-96, but the Heat came right back.

They scored five points in a row, and Brown was called for a flagrant offensive foul. Duncan Robinson made a free throw and Bam Adebayo (27 points, 16 rebounds) scored inside, making it 109-104 with 55.9 seconds to go. 

Smart, who had a big role in holding Goran Dragic to 11 points on 2 for 9 shooting, hit six foul shots in the final 28 seconds to hold off the Heat.

Two nights earlier, the Celtics looked like they were reeling, but they bounced right back.

“To be honest, I didn’t get much sleep in the last 48 hours,’’ said Brown. “I was so antsy to get back and play basketball. I didn’t think the last two games exemplified what this team is all about. I’m glad to be a part of this team and this organization and I’m proud of how we responded.’’ 

Said Tatum: “We could have came in and laid down instead of playing like we were fighting for our lives. It wasn’t perfect. But we played with a purpose and gave ourselves a chance. That’s all you want.’’  

Hayward confirmed after the game that he will be staying in the bubble with the Celtics until the end of their postseason run rather than leaving for the birth of his son later this month.