NBA East Final, Game 5: Boston-Miami 110-97, Series 2-3

The Celtics are still alive and in Game 5 are sending a message to the series: If there’s a team that can challenge history by becoming the first team in 151 playoff series to turn 0-3, it might be Boston. In the fifth match of the Eastern Conference Final, the Greens and Whites dominated in front of their fans (111-97) from the first minute to the last minute, showing a clear superiority, as 4 players from the quintet finished with more than 20 points. (White, Tatum, Smart and Brown). Thus wasted a second match point for the Met who will now have to manage the pressure of Match 6, scheduled to take place in Miami at 2.30 between Saturday and Sunday, a match that will become in or out for the Heat who certainly don’t want to. Head back to Boston for a possible Game 7.

No Vincent

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Bad news immediately reaches coach Spoelstra, who has to let go of such an important player as Gabi Vincent because of a problem with his left ankle. Lowry goes into the five but the game is immediately uphill for the away team who can’t handle Boston’s offensive gusts in the first minutes. Tatum and his teammates, amplified by the ultra-loud Td Garden, immediately found rhythm from distance and pushed hard from the duo on the Miami defense. The visiting team’s turnovers make it easier for the Celtics, who take less than four minutes to reach +15. When Boston defends disciplinedly and consistently finds the basket from long range, it becomes a really tough opponent for everyone and Miami struggles to get back into the game. Butler is living an anonymous evening on an offensive level, Duncan Robinson alone is not enough for the Heat to walk away and not give the impression of being able to reopen the Celtics game. Boston begins to solidify its proportions in the second quarter but the intensity of the defense is still high and so the home team goes into the second half with a 17 length lead after a really strong first half.

Autopilot

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There’s no kidding against Miami and a steady lead in the first half can’t be enough to put a player on autopilot, a lesson Boston proved it learned by focusing too much even in the third period. Tatum and White continue to hurt the Heat’s defense, however, Butler fails to play the Superman role seen in this season. And so Miami stays far behind and at the start of the fourth inning the game loses interest. Boston touches a more than comfortable +24 in the first minutes of the last break, then Spo understands that it’s time to think about game 6 and puts Butler back on the bench, the rest is “trash time”. The Heat could do no more wrong Saturday in Miami, and the idea of ​​returning to Boston for Game 7, after leading 3-0 in the series, is not appealing at all.

Boston: White 24 (2/3, 6/8, 2/3 tl), Smart 23, Tatum, Brown 21. Rebounds: Horford 11. Passes: Tatum 11.

You used to love me: Robinson 18 (5/7, 2/3, 2/2 tl), Adebayo 16, Highsmith 15. Rebounds: Adebayo 8. Assists: Robinson 9.