Okay, this series is becoming far more interesting. The Boston Celtics survived yet another elimination game as they beat the Miami Heat 110-97 in Game 5 to get the series to 3-2 and give themselves a sliver of hope of advancing for Game 6.
I’m not taking back anything I said after Game 3, but I will give credit where credit is due.
The Celtics have followed up their rebound-Game 4 performance with another win in front of the raucous Boston faithful in Game 5 as they dismantled the Miami Heat 110-97 to force this series to a sixth game. And, even though I still think the Heat will win this series, I will give the Celtics credit for showing a little fight and taking this series to a Game 6.
I know it’s not a huge accomplishment to take a series in which you find yourself down 0-3 to an 8th seeded side despite being the 2nd best team in the NBA (and the highest ranked seed left in the playoffs), but the probability of this series going to a Game 6 was slim to none the moment the Celtics got humiliated 128-102 in Game 3.
Putting aside the stat that only 11/150 (7.3%) teams prior to the C’s down 0-3 in a playoff series were able to just force a Game 6 in NBA history (let alone win the series), the Celtics looked like a team that had its heart, soul, fight, and pride ripped out of its chest and burnt in front of their eyes by the Miami Heat after Game 3’s blowout.
There was no evidence this team would come close to winning a game against this Heat side, let alone go on a 2-game winning streak, with how they played in the first three games, but here we are. Just like in Game 4, the Celtics defense and shooting came to play in Game 5 as the C’s were relentless on both sides of the ball.
Starting off with the defense, there wasn’t a single Heat player that got off an uncontested shot (which is a huge change from Games 1-3) with every single Celtics player who played last night taking their, respective, defensive responsibilities seriously. The Heat only converted 9-31 3-pointers, the starting 5 only made 2 of those 3’s, and the Celtics starting lineup outscored the Heat’s 95-48.
95-48? That’s horrible!
Jimmy Butler (14 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 2 STLs) had his worst playoff game by a country mile, Bam Adebayo (16 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST, 2 STLs, 1 BLK) was getting bullied by Tatum, Horford, and Grant Williams in the paint, Max Strus (3 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST) and Kyle Lowry (5 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST) were about as effective managing the guard positions as a broken clock, and Kevin Love (6 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST) was yanked after playing just 14 minutes.
Whether from hubris or overconfidence, those Heat players looked like scared, confused little lambs when the big bad Celtics defenders closed down on their shooting lanes and broke through the pick-and-rolls. It was the best defensive performance the Celtics have had since the 2022 Finals series vs. Golden State.
As for the offense, that 3-point barrage is what this Celtics team is capable of at their very best.
The C’s went 16-39 from beyond the arc and outscored the Heat a whopping 43-27, while six Celtics players scored at least one 3-pointer during the game.
Guys like Derrick White (24 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 2 STLs, 6-8 3-point shooting), Marcus Smart (23 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 5 STLs, 4-6 3-point shooting), and Jaylen Brown (21 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 3 STLs, 3-5 3-point shooting) were utterly lethal from the floor as all of them shot at least 50% from the field and 67% from the line, which was obviously much needed.
The Celtics were dreadful from beyond the arc, which has been their bread and butter for victory all season long, as they converted 34.5% in Game 1, 28.6% in Game 2, and a playoffs-low 26.2% in Game 3. It was the key reason as to why they inexplicably lost the first three games so heavily, along with their porous defense, lack of effort, and just generally being pathetic!
Now, Jayson Tatum (21 PTS, 8 REB, 11 AST, 2 STLs), Robert Williams (6 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK), Grant Williams (6 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 1 BLK), and Al Horford (6 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK) also had great games, but they mostly focused on the rebounding and defending side of the game as the wings and guards rifled home 3’s for fun. As Bill Belichick and the Pats used to say, the Celtics players “did their jobs”.
And, I have to give credit to Joe Mazzulla for learning from his mistakes and actually coaching to a level near (he’s not there yet) Eric Spoelstra. Instead of standing around on the sidelines and letting this team implode on themselves, Mazzulla actually called timeouts when the Heat went on scoring runs, got on the C’s when they started slacking on defense, and encouraged them when they needed an extra push to keep the lead and win the game.
As I said at the start, I’m not taking back or apologizing for anything I said after Game 3 as this team has yet to win this series or even win three games against an 8th seeded Heat team. If the Celtics are able pull off the historic comeback, then we can have a discussion.
Until then, this team needs a serious change to be consistently competitive.
Images Source: Featured Image:
