The Boston Celtics are back in the race after they defeated the Miami Heat 110-97 in Game 5 to force Game six. It was a great outing for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as they stepped up and kept their hopes alive in the series. The Celtics went down 3-0 to the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals but the Heat failed to close it out and now they have a chance to do it at home in Game 6.
“They let us get two… Don’t let us get another one,” Jaylen Brown warned the Miami Heat after winning Game 5.
A win in Game 6 for the Celtics would mean that they will play the decider at the TD Garden in front of their fans. Brown has not been at his best this season. But he has found his rhythm in the last last two games. He finished with 21 points and three steals and dropped three out of five from the three-point range.
Jayson Tatum also scored 21 points, registered 11 assists and eight boards on the night. Other than the two, Derrick White and Marcus Smart also slammed 20-plus points on the night and all four of them had a 50% shooting night. Many considered it to be the best basketball that the Celtics have played in the entire playoffs this season.
They were also very tight defensively as they notched up 13 steals on the night. They became the first team in NBA playoffs history to have starters knock down 12-plus three-pointers and also make 12-plus steals.
The pressure is now on the Miami Heat as they will look to close it down in Game 6 in Miami. The momentum will swing in Celtics’ favour if they force Game 7, which will happen at the TD Graden.
On this context, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith warned the Heat before Game 5, that there will be consequences if they don’t close out the game in these two games.
“Boston is clearly a better team because they got better talent… Now that they won this game [Game 4], they got a chance. They win Game 5 in Boston Thursday night, Miami, all the pressure shifts to them for Game 6,” Smith highlighted.
He went on to add how the tides may turn given that Celtics get the home-court advantage if they force Game 7. “If Boston wins Game 5, if you’re Miami, you don’t win Game 6 you gotta look forward to going back to Boston for Game 7. And if that happens, oh my lord, you don’t want to be in that position,” he concluded.
The Heat have been outplayed in the last two games and they will require everything in their power to come together for Game 6. Jimmy Butler needs to step up for them. He could only manage 14 points in Game 5. They also missed their starting point guard Gabe Vincent, who is out due to a left ankle sprain.
Overall, Game 6 will be very exciting for the fans as the Heat aim to close out the series, whereas the Celtics would like to force Game 7 and stay alive in the title race.
