Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jason Tatum added 22 and Boston Celtics moved to the edge of the berth in the NBA The final, escape after the break to beat Miami Heat 93-80 on Wednesday night and come out ahead with a score of 3-2 in the Eastern Conference title series.
Al Horford 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 made 10 rebounds Heatwho scored 32% in the game – after scoring 33% in Boston’s 20-point win in 4 games. Gabe Vincent added 15, Jimmy Butler was 13 and Duncan Robinson scored 11 for Miami.
The heat was 7 to 45 from the 3-point range.
Game 6 takes place in Boston on Friday night, where a pair of newly named trophies with the names of Celtics legends will be waiting. Bob Cusy’s trophy goes to the champions of the East, the trophy of Larry Byrd – MVP of the final of the East, and the “Celtics” in one victory from becoming the first team to raise them.
There are significant momentum fluctuations in this series – running with Miami 44-14 in Game 1, 60-21 with Boston in Game 2, running with Miami 46-20 to open Game 3 and then 57-33 with Boston in the same game , and jerk the Celtics 26-4 to open the game 4.
The launch of Game 5 was just as one-sided.
Score in 6 of 1/2 minute of the second half: Celtics 24, Hit 2. The coup was 59-58 Boston to 83-60 Boston, and all.
Boston beat Miami 32-16 in the third quarter, holding the Heath 17% shooting during that period. At that time the gap was only 11, but soon there was no doubt in the game. Boston opened the fourth quarter with a score of 14-2, Brown completed the barrage by making three 3-pointers in 2 1/2 minutes, and increased the score to 23.
Brown then ended the situation by rushing down the lane with 5:19 left, at which point the lead was 18, and Boston started the countdown.
The Celtics have not reached the NBA Finals since 2010. Since then, there have been four trips to the Eastern Finals, two defeats in Miami and two in Cleveland. There were also two chances – Game 6 in 2012 against the Heat and Game 7 in 2018 against the Cavaliers, when the Celtics had a chance to win the conference title by simply winning the game on their home floor.
They lost both, LeBron James both times acting as the official destroyer, scoring 45 points to save Miami in the 2012 game and 35 to lift Cleveland in the 2018 clincher.
He won’t interfere with the Celtics on Friday night.
Miami will need someone to give some resemblance to the incarnation.
The first half lacked attack, but Miami’s defense seemed to give Heath hope. Miami led 19-17 after one and 42-37 at the break. Tatum was 1 on 9 at the break, Butler 2 on 8, and the teams together scored 37.8% from the field and 21.6% from the 3-point distance.
It was the lowest first half of the conference’s final game since May 28, 2014, when Heath and Indiana together scored 75 points in the break, resulting in the Pacers winning 93-90.
And in Miami for some reason it got cold to start the second half. The Celtics didn’t.
Heath missed his first nine shots off the field after the break, getting nothing to drop until Butler bounced off contact and scored on a drive that Miami got between 49-48 and 6:53 left in the third.
But soon the Celtics gained control. Out of the game. And the series.
Associated Press report.
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