Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics reacts to a three-point basket during the first inning of M in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 25, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
Boston picked up 16 three-pointers in a dominant 110-97 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday, helping the Celtics continue their pursuit of the NBA championship.
For the second straight game, the Celtics resisted elimination, cutting their best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals deficit to 3-2 with an overall win.
Miami will have another chance to close when they host Friday’s game on Saturday. The Celtics will try to go one step further to become the first NBA team to recover from a 3-0 deficit to win the best-ever playoff series in seven games.
“The only thing that can stop us is us,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said in a court interview.
In front of a boisterous, boisterous crowd at TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics looked like the favorites before the series began – before emerging eighth seed Heat won the first two games in Boston, then embarrassed the second seed in game three.
“I was confident that we would come back and just play…we did that in the last two games.”
Derrick White of the Celtics reacts after the 3-0 defeat in the ECF.#NBAConferenceFinals presented by @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/8j5blvPRSc
– NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2023
The four Celtics starting players scored more than 20 points, with Derrick White leading with 24 points overnight as he made six of eight three-pointers.
“There are some good looks that can take them down, and just roll with it,” said White, who points to the Heat’s defensive focus on Brown and fellow country star Jayson. Tatum gave him more space to operate.
Marcus Smart added 23 points and had 5 steals while Brown and Tatum scored 21 each.
More importantly, the energetic Celtics beat the Heat in 16 games, leading to 27 points for Boston.
They have 17 second chance points compared to Miami’s 7.
Derrick White appeared as big as @celtics won Game 5!
24 points
6 3 p.m. (Playoff at the pinnacle of career)
2 STLRound 6 BOS/MIA:
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT pic.twitter.com/fYR2VzqLQl– NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2023
“We’re the tougher team tonight,” Brown said. “We set the tone from start to finish.”
Boston was locked in at both ends of the floor from the start, taking a 23-7 lead within minutes.
After Tatum was whistled for a technical foul with 8:43 in the first half, the Celtics responded with three consecutive three-pointers.
Tatum scored 12 points in the first quarter and Brown took over with 12 points in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Heat’s talisman Jimmy Butler struggled to keep going, scoring eight points in the first half and finishing with 14 points – his lowest-scoring game in the knockout stages. He was sidelined most of the fourth quarter.
Duncan Robinson leads the Heat with 18 points when coming on from the bench. Bam Adebayo scored 16 points but had 6 spins.
Kyle Lowry started at point guard after Gabe Vincent was disqualified for an ankle sprain, scoring five points with four turns.
“We have to play better,” Butler said. “Let’s start the game better, from the beginning, make it more difficult for them.
“They caught on from the start,” Butler added. “But we will always be optimistic, knowing we can and we will win this series. We will have to close it at home.”
‘Fight, scratch, scratch’
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat controls the ball against Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics during the third round of game five of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 25, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
Butler said the Heat have allowed their gunfights to affect the intensity of their defense.
“But that is easily fixable,” he said. “You just have to go out and play harder after the jump.”
The Heat, which won the NBA in 2006, 2012 and 2013, still need just one more win to reach the seventh NBA Finals.
Boston, home to the most 17 NBA titles tied to the Los Angeles Lakers in history, last won them all in 2008 and was eliminated in last season’s championship series against the Golden State Warriors.
The winners of this series will play Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets, who beat the Lakers in four games to reach the NBA Finals for the first time.
White said the Celtics expect a formidable challenge in Miami on Saturday.
“The crowd will be in there. It won’t be easy,” he said. “It’s going to take 48 minutes of fighting, scratching, scratching and we have to find a way to win.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra doesn’t care that two heavy losses have demoralized his team.
“Who cares about the mood?” Spoelstra said. “We have a creepy group. It’s a competitive series. You always expect things to be tough in the conference finals.
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