MIAMI (AP) – The Boston Celtics know the formula. They believe that their defense, as has happened again and again in these playoffs, will end up wearing down the teams.
Hard to argue.
Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Celtics are now an NBA Finals victory. They fled after the break to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 Wednesday night and take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference title series.
“I think the mental stress and tension we put on some teams with our defense has worked and it has sometimes taken us to the playoffs,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said.
At Horford he had 16 points and Derrick White added 14 for the Celtics. Tatum finished with 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Bam Adebayo scored 18 points and caught 10 rebounds for the Heat, who shot 32% in the game, after shooting 33% in Boston’s 20-point win in Game 4. Gabe Vincent added 15, Jimmy Butler made 13 and Duncan Robinson scored 11 for Miami.
The Heat were 7 for 45 from the 3-point range. They played without the injured Tyler Herro (groin), and several Miami players were questionable for catching up due to various illnesses.
“We will not make any deviations or excuses,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “ Boston beat us tonight. And let’s be clear. There are guys who are 100% away from both sides. ”
The sixth game is in Boston on Friday night, where they will be waiting for a pair of trophies with the names of Celtic legends. The Bob Cousy Trophy goes to the Eastern Champions, the Larry Bird Trophy to the Eastern Final MVP, and the Celtics are on a winning streak to lift them.
“We have a chance to do something with this group that is special,” Brown said. “We don’t take that for granted.”
This series has undergone massive momentum changes: a 44-14 streak in Miami in Game 1, a 60-21 streak in Boston in Game 2, a 46-20 streak in Miami to open the 3rd in a row 57-33 in Boston in the same game, and a 26-4 from the Celtics to open the fourth game.
The run of Game 5 was just as big.
The score was 6 and a half minutes into the second half: Celtics 24, Heat 2. The change was from 59-58 Boston to 83-60 Boston.
“In the first half it was tough because we weren’t hitting shots and we were flipping the ball,” Horford said. “ But the key for us was to keep doing what we do by defending, and then attacking by playing as we play. And finally we were able to get it up and running. ”
Boston beat Miami 32-16 in the third quarter, keeping the Heat at 17%. The margin was only 11 at that time, but a 14-2 was how Boston opened the fourth quarter, Brown crowned the burst by making three triples in a period of 2 1/2 minutes, and the advantage was a 23..
Then Brown sealed things off with a lane kill with 5:19 to go, the lead was 18 at the time and the countdown was underway for Boston.
“We’re still queuing up,” Adebayo said. “ We still have to play these games. We still want to win ”.
The Celtics have not reached the NBA Finals since 2010. There have been four trips to the Eastern Finals since then, with two defeats against Miami and two against Cleveland. There were also two opportunities like the one expected on Friday: Game 6 in 2012 against the Heat and Game 7 in 2018 against the Cavaliers, when the Celtics had a chance to claim the conference title simply by winning a game at home . .
They both lost, with LeBron James serving as the frustrating official both times, with 45 points to save Miami in the 2012 game and 35 to lift Cleveland to the 2018 clincher.
This time it will not be in the manner of the Celtics.
Miami will need someone to provide a semblance of impersonation.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Butler insisted.
The attack was sparse in the first half. Miami led 19-17 after one and 42-37 at the break. Tatum was 1 of 9 in the intermission, Butler 2 of 8, and the teams combined to shoot 37.8% from the field and 21.6% from the 3-point range.
Miami somehow got colder to start the second half. The Celtics don’t.
The Heat missed their first nine shots from the field after the break, without getting anything to fall until Butler avoided contact and scored in a game that put Miami 49-48 with 6:53 of the end of the game. third.
But soon the Celtics were in control. From the game. And the series.
“If you want to get through and get a ticket to the final, you’re going to have to do ridiculously difficult things,” Spoelstra said.
ADVICES
Celtics: Boston is now 42-7 this season when it keeps teams at 105 points or less. … Marcus Smart tried his ankle sprain before the game, declared himself ready and had only five points, but the Celtics outscored the Heat by 13 points in their nearly 24 minutes. … White and Robert Williams III were 7 of 8 combined in the first half, while the rest of their teammates were 6 of 26 combined.
Heat: Max Strus was 0 for 9, Kyle Lowry was 0 for 6, and Heat’s starting guards are a 1 for 28 combined in their last two games. Wednesday’s 0 of 15 was the worst playoff showing for a starting backcourt since the NBA started tracking the headlines in 1970. … It was the third lowest point of the season for the Heat (78 against Boston in November). 4, 79 against Philadelphia on May 6).
HORFORD WATCH
Game 6 will be the 140th playoff game for Horford. No one has competed in more postseason competitions without appearing in the NBA Finals, something he and the Celtics could change with one more win over Miami.
ANOTHER ROUTE
It was the 14th time in the last 19 games during these playoffs where the final margin was at least 10 points.