After an impressive trip to Miami, the Celtics returned to their home – the TD Garden – looking to close out the series in five games. They would do just that mainly down to the superb performances of both Derrick White and Jaylen Brown. The pair both added 25 points in a resounding 34-point win in a game were Miami never led for a second. For Miami their inefficiency from beyond the arc has been their downfall since the Heat’s impressive victory in game two they have made just 21 combined 3-pointers. Considering they hit 23 times from downtown in game two, Miami’s poor shooting since is a huge factor in their series loss.
Al Horford was injected into the starting line-up after Kristaps Porzingis’ injury in the previous game and he opened up things offensively for the Celtics. Boston added 41 points in the opening quarter, 15 of which were scored by White, he scored a career-high in points on Monday night to lead all scorers. White picked up exactly were he left off in game four scoring 25 points on 62% shooting as well as hauling in five rebounds.
Miami made a conscious effort to put more pressure on the ball in the second quarter and it worked for a stretch, as Boston committed a few needless turnovers and gave up multiple shots in transition. Bam Adebayo was the one who led the charge for the Heat, despite his team’s eventual series loss Adebayo has contributed 20+ across all five games in this first round series, proving he can really contribute to wining on the big stage.
After a poor close to the second quarter the Celtics knew they had to strike first in the third, and they did so terrifically. Boston managed to find their shooting rhythm and knocked down many open shots, the Celtics were able to connect on 40% of their shots from behind the arc in what was a dominant win. Brown was another leading factor in Boston’s game five success, he scored 25 points (joint most) as the Heat had little to no answer for his physicality in the paint.
Boston had amassed a huge lead heading into the final period, and they were not going to let up in this one. Another factor in Miami’s offensive struggles this series has been Tyler Herro’s inefficiency since his 24-point and 14 assists performance in game two. That continued in this one as he scored just 15 points on 19 shots in a pretty terrible outing with his team’s season on the line. The Celtics went on to close out this one with a 118-84 victory and will face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Orlando Magic in the conference semi-finals.
After the win Jayson Tatum spoke to ESPN about Boston’s recent history with the Heat: “I think this is my fourth time playing them in the playoffs. They all count the same… we did our job. We took care of business”. The Celtics will now have to wait for the conclusion of the Cavaliers vs Magic series to see who their opponent will be. Depending on if the series ends in six or seven the Celtics will be at TD Garden for game one on either Sunday or Tuesday night, looking to extend this playoff run.
By Will C
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