Celtics

The Eastern Conference finals return to Miami on Wednesday with the Celtics and Heat tied at two games apiece. Boston dominated Miami in Game 4, 102-82, ...

P.J. Tucker's crashes form the corner (three ORBs) and Jaylen Brown's wayward dribbling (four turnovers) have been particularly large contributors to the trend. Can the Celtics go super small, too, without getting bludgeoned even worse on the offensive glass than they were in the first? He's waving over at the Celtics bench trying to stay in the game. It’s about who is less worse. Four fouls on Kyle Lowry, and you wonder if Boston wishes it could decline the penalty. •3h ago •3h ago The Heat are currently 5/35 (14.3%) entering the 4th quarter. •3h ago As the Heat stars faded over the course of the night, with only Adebayo giving them a last gasp chance early in the fourth, the Celtics’ best players took over late and put this one to bed. We're all guilty of overreacting to the last game, but the Heat to me looked like a team that might have run out of gas in the tank and cards left to play against this Celtics defense. It feels like the Celtics core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford has been together forever.

The Boston Celtics gave the Miami Heat fits defensively throughout Game 5, moving within a win of the NBA Finals in the process.

As Kendrick Perkins explained prior to Game 5 on Pardon the Interruption, Time Lord plays an integral role in slowing Miami center Bam Adebayo. While Adebayo's totals were certainly better tonight -- 18 points on 8 of 15 shooting -- he was also a game-worst minus-23. Through 82 regular season games and now 16 postseason games, Miami has failed to top 90 points only five times in 2021-22. "Him being able to go out there and be put in different positions, he's great defensively.

The Celtics rode a 21-2 run between the third and fourth quarters to take full control of a game they seemed fortunate to be in through a messy first half.

Brown smashed a dunk through the Heat’s back line to put an exclamation point on a night where he sputtered out of the gate. Tatum found Brown for two more triples, first in the right corner, then on a long bomb from the right wing. Tatum nearly turned the ball over again targeting White in the pocket, but the ball bounced right out to his teammate and Brown hit the follow-up mid range jumper. White scored six straight points through the middle of the second to keep the Celtics within a basket and Brown buried a three of his won, but Adebayo and Tucker closed the quarter attacking the offensive glass and kept the Heat ahead 42-37 at halftime. The run kept flowing into the fourth, reaching 21-2 and demoralizing the Heat, who never got their offense going against another dominant half court defensive effort from the Celtics. Horford caught and gave back passes from Brown and Tatum to set up threes at the start of the final frame. Horford pulled the team together early in the second quarter after Smart threw away a pass to Oladipo that Miami turned over the other way.

The Celtics will have their complete playoff rotation for the first time in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Conversely, Miami will be without Tyler Herro for Game 5. Smart missed Game 4 after badly rolling his ankle in Saturday's loss. Adebayo took five shots and finished with nine points on Monday.

The Miami Heat were 7-for-45 from three-point range on their home court as the Boston Celtics claimed a 93-80 win and 3-2 series lead.

The Celtics haven't reached the NBA Finals since 2010. Offense was in short supply in the first half, but Miami's defense appeared to be giving the Heat hope. The margin was only 11 at that point — but soon, the game was in zero doubt. A 14-2 run was how Boston opened the fourth quarter, Brown capping the flurry by making three 3-pointers in a span of 2 1/2 minutes, and the lead was out to 23. Game 6 is in Boston on Saturday, where a pair of newly named trophies bearing the names of Celtics legends will be waiting. The score over a 6 1/2-minute stretch of the second half: Celtics 24, Heat 2.

Chris Mannix and Howard Beck break down an ugly Eastern Conference finals that has been back and forth, and why Jayson Tatum is the key to the Celtics ...

And it is the one thing as you know, Chris, ’cause we talked about it in the weeks and months leading to the postseason, it was the one concern I had with the Heat. I admire the heck out of what they’re doing, but I don’t know if a team without an elite scorer can make it all the way in this league. So yeah, I think the Celtics win the next two. So I looked this up because I was curious: Jimmy averaged 21.4 points a game in the regular season. And I think that will play out over the rest of this series. He comes out, has 10 points in the first quarter, plays all 12 minutes, plays a lot of minutes in the first half. And the real outlier of the final four in these playoffs … I was looking this up, so Jimmy Butler, you and I both know, and he’s hurt right now, he’s dragging a little bit. So last year, Giannis, 28 points a game in the regular season. Howard Beck: I used to use as a reference point, when I try to explain to people and remind myself, Chris, that the playoffs are really unpredictable sometimes, and that no single game is necessarily indicative of a series. In fact, I would predict them to win the next two games of the series, if they are healthy-ish. But I was at Game 4 in Boston and my biggest takeaway, Howard, is that the Celtics are just better. They committed 24 turnovers in Game 3, that led to 33 points from Miami. They had the ball deflected 29 times, I think it was a playoff high for this year by Miami. They did it to themselves in Game 3. And that is protect the ball in Game 3.

Boston took control with a dominant third quarter to beat Miami 93-80 and move within one more win of the NBA Finals.

Brown and Tatum were a combined 3-for-16 from the field in the first half. Butler and Lowry are among the Heat players who are not 100%. The Celtics have injuries to Marcus Smart (sprained right ankle) and Robert Williams (left knee soreness), but they were able to play in Game 5. I know how badly he wants to be out there, and that's why we'll listen to him, but these decisions have to be made by the training staff and our doctors. The Celtics gave up just one offensive rebound in the quarter after giving up nine in the first half. Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 18 points and 10 rebounds. And the Boston Celtics were that team.

Our betting experts give their best plays for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.

Patterns aside, Tatum knows he'll have to carry a big load in a swing Game 5, on the road, against a Heat team he has proven he can produce against. Playing at home, in the pivot game, I expect the Heat starters to score more than 18 points and for these two teams to regress to the norm and put some points on the board. Some massive positive regression is due for a Heat starting unit that combined for 18 points and 7-of-36 shooting (19.4%) from the field. The Heat put together a single massive quarter in each of Games 1 and 3 and won both games, but I think the Celtics are locked in enough not to allow a nightmare quarter on Wednesday. If they can do that, they should be able to win Game 5 comfortably. Tatum had a nightmare Game 3, but bounced back in a big way in Game 4. Brown has been a key player for the Celtics during this series, along with Jayson Tatum. He has averaged 18.5 FGA and 25 PPG while shooting 47.3% from the field. and the third of those "wins" was the garbage time fourth quarter of Game 4. Best bet: Celtics -1.5. The Celtics have been the better team for the vast majority of this series, with the Heat only winning three of the 16 quarters so far... For Boston, Jayson Tatum has averaged a dozen rebounding chances over the last two games and is projected to have nearly seven boards today. Playoff P: Payton Pritchard has made 10 of his 24 3-point attempts in this series, and while a 54.9% conversion rate is tough to sustain, his role is real ... and it's spectacular: 36.6% of his points scored against the Heat have come from beyond the arc (third highest in the league), an indicator that the Heat are willing to pack it in. The edge is minor, but over tickets have cashed more often than not for both teams in such situations this season. Outside of Game 3, in which Butler missed the second half, he has averaged 33.0 PPG on 60.7% shooting during this series.

Celtics on brink of NBA Finals after ice-cold Heat burned by second-half blitz.

It was a remarkable turnaround given they had combined for just 10 points in the first half. Meanwhile, sharp-shooter Max Strus went 0-for-9 on field goal attempts and is now 0-for-16 in his last two games, leading Smith to deliver a broadside on the struggling shooter: “Somebody we’ve been raving about… They stretched that lead to 23 when they added 12 more unanswered points at the onset of the fourth quarter. Miami started slowly, missing their first six shot attempts from the floor in a sign of things to come. But everything changed in the second half – for the Celtics anyway. But those predictions were shredded in the opening four games of the series in which just one match-up was decided by a single-figure margin.

Before both teams emptied their benches, the Celtics outscored the Heat 56-34, seizing control of the game and the series.

As a result, the Heat went from producing 12 points off turnovers to getting only five in the second half. With Boston on an 18-2 run dating back to the third frame, the visitors now had a 77-60 lead. Grant Williams, who was starting the frame in place of Robert Williams, followed that up with a push shot off the dribble. But Miami matched it as Butler found Tucker for a three to push the hosts lead to 34-30. Then, Duncan Robinson attacked off the dribble for a bank shot from just outside the restricted area to make it 36-30. He was aggressive, decisive, and was one of Boston's most impactful players in the first half. He also got fouled and capitalized on the free throw to make it 29-25 Heat. But Miami matched it as Butler found Tucker for a three to push the hosts lead to 34-30. Then, Duncan Robinson attacked off the dribble for a bank shot from just outside the restricted area to make it 36-30. He was aggressive, decisive, and was one of Boston's most impactful players in the first half. Vincent then drilled a pull-up jumper above the left elbow to make it 19-17 in favor of the hosts. He also got fouled and capitalized on the free throw to make it 29-25 Heat.

Jaylen Brown was the face of the Celtics' turnaround Wednesday night as they beat the Heat to put themselves on the brink of advancing to the NBA Finals.

Getting on to Boston and figuring that out collectively, those are the emotions and the breakthroughs that you have that you remember the rest of your life. Brown and Tatum certainly did so in the second half. The job's just not finished yet." It was unclear whether Boston was going to be able to actually follow through on Brown's instructions after yet another ugly stretch of basketball in this series for the Celtics in the first half of Game 5. It was a game that, like the rest of this series, will never be called pretty. Its starting backcourt of Kyle Lowry and Max Strus combined to go 0-for-15 from the field and 0-for-12 from 3-point range for the game. "Same player," Brown said from the first half to the second. As the game wears on, some of that energy, some of that intensity starts to wear off, so the game opens up a little bit. While Tatum and Brown were combining to go 10-for-33 in the first half, and the Celtics were throwing the ball around, Miami couldn't hit anything, either. [Just] come out, play basketball in the second half." I didn't want to look into the past, think that this game was over. "We weren't playing our best, in a lot of ways," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said.

With the Celtics stonewalling the Heat at one end, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown carried Boston's offense at the other, combining for 37 second-half points, ...

We gave them a lot more shots than we had in the first half, and we were only down by five." I didn't want to look into the past, thinking that this game was over. You're acting like you're surprised that they're reaching and taking it from behind." He went on to tell Brown: "The crowd is there. Ime Udoka expressed for that to be the case, "it was big. You saw it in the Brooklyn series; guys started to wear down.

MIAMI — The Celtics will be at just about full health for their crucial Game 5 against the Heat on Wednesday. Both Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III are ...

Williams played in Games 1, 2 and 4 against the Heat, but sat Game 3 because of the knee soreness. Williams came back for Games 3 and 4 against the Nets, along with playing Games 1-3 against the Bucks. Smart missed Games 1 and 4 of the East Finals thus far, though the absences have been because of different injuries. He’s a crucial piece for the Celtics and Williams’ defense and lob threat add a different dimension to the lineup. Williams has been in-and-out of the lineup as Udoka said he’s going to be day-to-day for the rest of the postseason. Both Smart and Williams were questionable on Tuesday’s injury report, but they’ll be good to go.

The Boston Celtics have updated the statuses of Robert Williams and Marcus Smart ahead of Wednesday night's Game 5 against the Miami Heat.

Smart missed Game 4, but the Defensive Player of the Year has been key to Boston's success throughout their playoff run. Their presence should go a long way toward helping the C's take a 3-2 series lead back to Boston. Williams was a major contributor to Boston's 102-82 win over Miami in Game 4.

Smart and Herro both missed Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Miami will be put to the test in Game 5 without Herro. He missed Game 4, a Miami loss, and ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that in the regular season, his groin injury is the sort of issue that would typically keep a player out for 2-4 weeks. Marcus Smart, dealing with a sprained ankle, and Robert Williams III, who has been fighting a knee injury all postseason, will both play in Game 5 against Miami Wednesday. Heat guard Tyler Herro, dealing with a groin injury, will sit out again.

For the Celtics to return home a win away from reaching the NBA Finals, they'll have to play with the same edge they had in a must-win Game 4.

We shouldn't have to get punched in the mouth to respond." The Heat played like a team that already got what it came for, but Boston couldn't allow that to influence them. Game 4's win was the latest example of that. We need to work on being better in that aspect. It required refocusing, which for Tatum meant bouncing back from arguably the worst showing of his playoff career. That was also true on Monday, where it's safe to say Boston's season was on the line.

Boston and Miami keep trading blowout wins in their playoff series.

He averaged eight free throws a game in the regular season, among the best in the league. In Game 3 against the Bucks, Tatum had only 10 points and shot 4 of 19 from the field. It was the exact kind of energy that Boston sorely missed in the first half of Game 3. He was aggressive in attacking the basket, getting to the line 16 times, more than any other game in this playoff run. The Celtics have not lost two games in a row the entire postseason. In large part, this was because of the presence of Celtics center Robert Williams III, who missed Game 3 because of knee soreness. They also won in spite of a poor game from guard Jaylen Brown, who shot 5 for 20 from the field for 12 points. Heat center Bam Adebayo, who finally broke out for 31 points in Game 3, reverted to being tentative, shooting the ball only twice in the first half. Amazingly, the last time there was a lead change was in Game 2, in which the Celtics led by as many as 34. Most of the starters were out of the game for good by early in the final quarter. In Game 3 on Saturday night, the Heat went up by 26 points in the first half. It hasn’t been a question of being home or away, since each team has won a game on the road.

The Boston Celtics and seed Miami Heat face off on Wednesday at FTX Arena in Miami in Game 5 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Jessie Carter writes: "With the help of their fans, the Miami Heat look capable of defeating almost any team in the world. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. More: Boston Celtics vs. More: Boston Celtics vs. Boston Celtics vs.

The Boston Celtics bounced back in a huge way as they pounded the Miami Heat in Game 4 to set up a pivotal Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Heading into a pivotal Game 5, there is plenty on the line for both teams. The Celtics cruised to a 20-point victory to tie the Eastern Conference Finals at 2-2. For the Celtics, some of that same narrative could follow should they lose to the Heat. This Boston core has gotten close time and time again.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 102-82 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday to even up this series at 2-2 heading back to Miami ...

In their two losses in Games 2 and 4, the Heat have averaged just 35.0 points in the paint and have averaged 18.0 free-throw attempts per game. Coming out hot and starting strong has opened up these massive leads in this series and if either side can get going from deep early on in Game 5 on Wednesday, then we could be in store for yet another blowout victory. Maybe injuries have a lot to do with this, but just look at the trends so far. Defensively, Boston was locked in for this game and as they continued to get stops on defense, their offense began to click. Heading into Game 4 on Monday, the Heat led this series 2-1 after beating the Celtics in Game 3 by six points. Scoring 31 points on 8-16 shooting, Jayson Tatum looked like his All-Star self after a poor 10-point performance in Game 3.

Boston evened the series at 2-2 by going wire-to-wire in a blowout of Miami.

He waited way too long in what was largely a 20-25-point game in the fourth quarter to pull the regulars. He just has to wait for Al Horford and Derrick White to cut and suck in the weakside defenders. But for that to happen, the shooters have to hit shots. He’s often responsible for the Celtics getting off to good starts. 7. For the Celtics offense to function at it’s best, they have to be a drive-and-kick team. Jimmy Butler has done a pretty job of getting his body into the Celtics defenders to create space on drives or to draw a foul. It was a tour de force for the Celtics veteran leader. 6. A big part of the defensive dominance was Rob Williams helping Al Horford control the paint. Now, the Celtics have a plethora of players who can work the middle or a zone. This is outstanding play design to open the second half. Going right at Strus is becoming a recurring theme for the Celtics the deeper this series goes: He’s probably the best Boston player about pushing pace and he does so here before throwing the alley-oop to Jayson Tatum:

For Boston sports fans of a certain age, the Celtics single-handedly absolved the Red Sox, Bruins, and Patriots of their sins. The Sox hadn't won in nearly a ...

They should do it for the Cooz, who's still sharp as a tack at age 93, defending his era's honor against the insolent likes of J.J. Redick. They should do it for Russell, the greatest champion in the history of team sports. The Lakers, meanwhile, are in crisis. Behind the league's most stifling defense and a three-point bombing offense, the Celtics simply flattened their competition. We could legitimately be looking at the birth of the NBA's next mini-dynasty that should once again make Boston a destination. And once they get there, they'll need only four wins to restore the franchise to its rightful place atop the all-time NBA hierarchy, dropping the Lakers back to second, where we can all agree they belong. Instead, the Suns bounced them in the first round. When the Celtics imploded in the 2020 bubble vs. Kyrie Irving's departure had doomed the organization to middle-class mediocrity, despite the presence of potential superstar Jayson Tatum. What franchise can lose Irving, Al Horford, Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier in rapid succession, replace them with a broken-down Kemba Walker, and recover? For Boston sports fans of a certain age, the Celtics single-handedly absolved the Red Sox, Bruins, and Patriots of their sins. The Celtics always stood in their way, and we loved it. When Bird raised their 16th banner in 1986, the Lakers ranked a distant second with nine. LeBron and AD weren't going anywhere and the Lakers opened 2021 as favorites to repeat.

Our Chris Forsberg has been a resident of Time Lord island for some time now and after watching his impact on Game 4, Robert Williams' health and ...

“It's just swelling a little bit, stiffening up on me a little,” Williams said of the knee. Williams missed four weeks and the start of the postseason after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus. While all of Boston’s defenders went up a level, it’s hard not to notice the difference with Williams on the floor. Neither the Bucks nor the Heat were able to score on Boston’s set defense with any regularity. Even with Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart sidelined by an ankle injury, Boston’s four remaining starters -- along with Derrick White -- ratcheted up their intensity while limiting the Miami Heat to just a single point over the first 8:38 of Monday’s Game 4 en route to a breezy 102-82 win that evened this Eastern Conference finals series at two games apiece. The Heat posted an impossibly low offensive rating of 65.7 in all halfcourt sets during Game 4.

The Boston Celtics forward has shown impressive resiliency during the 2022 NBA playoffs by giving his team excellent performances after a loss.

The next challenge for Tatum and the Celtics is winning Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. Tatum didn't shoot well from 3-point range (1-of-7) but he made 14 of his 16 free throw attempts and was aggressive in driving to the basket. The Celtics have suffered five defeats in the postseason so far, and they have bounced back with a win every time.

ESPN's Nick Friedell joins Chris Forsberg to discuss how the Heat will respond to the Celtics blowing them out in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

They believe it, but can it actually happen in Miami on Wednesday night?" "He said after the game, 'I'm good, it wasn't an excuse, I'm not worried about it.' Historically when Jimmy says he's not worried about something, that means it's on his mind a little bit," Friedell said. ESPN's Nick Friedell joined Chris Forsberg on a new episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast to share his thoughts. Butler was a non-factor in Miami's Game 4 defeat. "When you get your ass kicked that bad, I think that is a pretty solid response to have. The series now heads back to Miami tied 2-2.

The Celtics are a different team with Robert Williams in the lineup, and Game 4 reinforced his size and athleticism are difference-maker in this series.

Sometimes, it's the second day, which is obviously game day." Spending a lot of time with the trainers. When asked about the specifics of his knee injury, Williams shared: "It's just swelling a little bit, stiffening up on me a little.

Several players for the Heat and Celtics have been listed as questionable ahead of tomorrow's crucial Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The injury could be a lingering problem. The Heat, meanwhile, have listed a whopping five role players as questionable ahead of Wednesday’s home contest. Smart has a right ankle sprain.

Boston Celtics vs. Miami HEAT Wednesday, May 25 @ 8:30 PM Series Record: 2-2.

A huge portion of the game was decided by the HEAT winning the turnover battle, 23-8, and taking 22 more shots than their opponent, but this was a battle of the mind more than anything. In other words, precisely because the defense is so good and both teams have some inherent struggles in the halfcourt, we’re more likely than usual to see one run get extended as the other side is pushed more and more onto their heels. The HEAT ramped up the physicality on defense, found just enough shotmaking – Max Strus and Adebayo each hit a massive jumper after Boston closed to within one – and responded to one momentum-building one after another. Instead what we’re getting is a series where both defenses have indeed been great, but each game has seen one team lead by at least 20 – Boston’s near-comeback in Game 3 was the only real pushback we’ve seen from a big hole – because as soon as one defense gets rolling then the other team starts to struggle even more having to attack in the halfcourt, and the more that team misses the more the other side can try to push the pace. And in the end, that opening salvo offered a large enough lead to put Miami up 2-1 in the series. In winning the opening period, 39-18, the HEAT had just about as immaculate a start to a postseason game as you can possibly have. With Kyle Lowry back, his effect on the pace of the offense, both in the open floor and in the halfcourt, was immediately evident as he pushed into a trail three for Max Strus and followed that up a few possessions later with his traditional hit-ahead pass to Jimmy Butler. But apart from Lowry and some hot three-point shooting, the real boost to the offense was Bam Adebayo scoring about as well as he has ever scored. Both teams are going to come out of this one with plenty to like – Boston wound up winning three of the four quarters – and if you came into this game expecting a long series there wasn’t much on hand to dissuade you of that notion. And as usual – after Boston made a run with Butler off the court – he was there to bring it home down the stretch as he hunted the Payton Pritchard matchup relentlessly, holding the Celtics off with free-throws and jumpers. Boston was up by as much as they were up – 34 at the largest lead, but consistently over after their major runs – because they were hitting just about everything. Just as quick as Game 1 turned after the break when the HEAT rediscovered their own identity playing physical and precise defense and letting that effort power their offense, this time Boston was the team finding itself. He wasn’t alone in doing so, but there’s a level of pressure that Butler can apply to your offense that makes every pass carry just a little more inherent risk to it – an effect that played a major role as the HEAT’s defense fed their offense over and over and over again in the third quarter.