![]() (It should have been a bigger blowout, but garbage time is called garbage time for a reason.)ĭerrick White had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the way for the Celtics. They won by 17 in Game 4 on Miami’s home floor, and then promptly took the Heat to task with a misleading 13-point win in Boston. But suddenly, Boston has won two games in a row to make this a series, and has looked dominant doing it. Then again, so did the sweep that looked and felt inevitable after Game 3’s debacle of a performance from the Celtics, one that put them in a 3-0 hole. A close-out opportunity at home feels almost storybook. Teams that start a series with a 3-0 advantage are 150-0, after all. The Heat, given their commanding start to the series, still own a 3-2 advantage, and now have a chance to close out the series at home. On Wednesday night, the Celtics took one small step closer to history, beating the Heat in dominant fashion on their home floor to send the series back to Miami for Game 6. Given that they’re still alive today, I’ll give you one guess as to what their record is in those games. Thursday night marked the fourth time the Boston Celtics have faced and elimination scenario this postseason. Boston hit 7 of its 12 attempts.Ĭeltics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, NCAA president Charlie Baker and New England Patriots Matt Slater and Devin McCourty were among several celebrities in the Garden.Celtics fend off Heat at home, 110-97, force Game 6 in Miami Tatum had 12 points in the opening 12 minutes, with the Celtics outscoring the Heat 21-6 from beyond the arc. Boston ended the period with a 35-20 lead, punctuated by a 3-pointer by White at the buzzer. It didn’t stop the Celtics’ momentum, as their first-quarter lead grew as high as 23-7. He hung on the rim afterward and continued his celebration when he landed, leading to a technical foul. Then, with the game tied at 4, Tatum got free in the lane for a monstrous two-handed dunk. Smart stripped Adebayo on Miami’s opening possession, igniting a fast break and layup on the other end by Tatum. The Celtics got the fast start they had hoped for in front of their home crowd. … Boston’s first turnover of the game didn’t come until the 8:16 mark of the second quarter. … The Celtics took a 61-44 edge into halftime. … Al Horford added six points and 11 rebounds. Heat: Were outscored 13-0 in second-half points in the opening 24 minutes.Ĭeltics: It was the first time this season that Boston had four 20-point scorers. Lowry played 31 minutes, scored five points and finished with four turnovers. His presence was missed as Miami struggled early on the offensive end, swarmed by a Celtics’ defense that forced the Heat into 10 first-half turnovers that led to 17 Boston points. Vincent, the Heat’s third-leading scorer this postseason, got hurt late in Miami’s Game 4 loss when he landed awkwardly while trying to save a loose ball near the Heat bench. The Heat started Kyle Lowry at point guard after Gabe Vincent was ruled out with a sprained left ankle earlier in the day. The Heat cut into it, but Boston kept knocking down 3s and grew its edge as high as 96-72 in the fourth quarter.īoston’s fans reignited a “Beat the Heat!” chant that hadn’t been prevalent since Game 1. They dove for loose balls, outfought Miami for rebounds and found each other for layups and dunks in transition as they built as much as a 20-point lead in the first half. But with a raucous home crowd behind them, the Celtics thrived on their energy. “We’ve got to raise ours now as well.”īoston entered the day just 4-5 at TD Garden this postseason. “I don’t want to say we’re surprised by it, but they raised their level,” Robinson said. He had 16 points in Game 3, a blowout win by Miami. ![]() It was Butler’s lowest-scoring game of the playoffs. Butler had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, but sat out the final 9:47 of the game. Bam Adebayo added 16 points and eight rebounds. That’s all we just have to focus on right now.”ĭuncan Robinson led the Heat with 18 points. It’s about collectively preparing and putting together a great game. “One game doesn’t lead to the next game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ![]() A day after the Florida Panthers punched the franchise’s first ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1996, for the second straight game the Heat were denied a spot in the NBA Finals.
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