14:49 ET
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Tim BontempsESPN
MIAMI – In three of the first four games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the leading team at the end of the first quarter has won every time.
So as the Boston Celtics prepare to face the Miami Heat in the fifth game here at the FTX Arena on Wednesday night, with the series tied for two games each, the Celtics are aware that they need to focus on a good start to this match to come out with a desperately needed victory on the road.
“What happened last game is the last game, regardless of whether we won by 25 or 2,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said after the Boston shootout Wednesday morning. “They all count as one [win]. So we shouldn’t feel better about ourselves because we let them escape [in Game 4].
2 Related
“And I think we shouldn’t relax. We should look at it as a new series and tonight is an essential game. And I think when you approach something as essential and you have more sense of urgency, especially For to begin with, I think that’s how we should focus tonight and that happens with the first five or six minutes of the game. “
In the last two rounds, which date back to the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics are now with an impeccable 5-0 lead when they lost the previous game. But after the wins, Boston has a sad 1-4, with its only home win in Game 7 against Milwaukee.
If Boston is going to get out of this series and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, that will have to change, and the Celtics will have to win another game here in Miami, after winning the second game here. the last. week.
In addition to starting the game well, the other obvious difference in each game is Boston’s ability – or lack thereof – to take care of the ball. In the Celtics’ two wins, they have only lost a handful. In both Celtic defeats, they have thrown the ball all over the gym, allowing the Heat to get one easy transition basket after another.
“I think we’re safe,” Guard Payton Pritchard said. “We know what we have to do, take care of the ball, set the defensive tone, but we found ourselves in that situation in the last series.”
“It just starts with the jump … it starts with our intensity. Every time we come out of a defeat, we play like we’re back against the wall. We have to bring that mentality to every game and obviously just take care of it. We’ve lost 39 games, we’ve lost 39 games. We’ve lost 18 games, so that’s a big difference. “
Boston is also waiting to see if both guard Marcus Smart and center fielder Robert Williams III can play, as both appear to be questionable for a second straight game. Smart is still facing the right ankle sprain that prevented him from the fourth game, and Celtics coach Ime Udoka said he still has “pain, swelling and pain” in his ankle before the game. 5 and who will receive treatment again throughout the match. day before shipment before a decision is made on its status.
Williams, meanwhile, is also dealing with constant pain, only his left knee stems have caused him a variety of problems over the past two months. Williams underwent meniscus surgery at the end of the regular season, which caused him to miss most of the first-round Boston series against Brooklyn, before Williams missed three games in the Milwaukee series due to ‘a pain from a bone hematoma.
He also withstood the defeat of Boston’s third game with knee pain, before returning to Game 4, although he appeared to be limping at times in the third quarter.
Like Smart, Udoka said Williams will receive treatment throughout the day before his condition is determined.