THE BOSTON CELTICS GO INTO MIAMI AND TAKE GAME 5 AND ARE NOW JUST ONE WIN AWAY FROM THE NBA FINALS!!!!

Greenie5/26/2022 3:24 AM

Andy Lyons. Getty Images.

Uhhhhhhh holy shit. Holy fucking shit. They really did it. The Celts really built off a win and went into Miami and took Game 5. This now makes them 2-0 in the last 2 games in this building. You want to talk about a championship response, that is what a championsjip response fucking looks like. Think of what they just accomplished. A team that hasn't lost back to back games in nearly 6 months now returns home for a spot in the NBA Finals. By dropping Game 3 this is what was now in their way. The Celts were going to have to win again in Miami if they wanted to win this series, and finally they decided to not play with their food and took care of business in what many called a must win game. They did not fumble the opportunity in front of them like they did earlier in this series. That's growth. Everyone's hurt, the game was ugly as shit for the first 24 minutes and was more of what I would describe as a rock fight compared to a basketball game but whatever. The Celts can win pretty. They can win ugly. They can win in blowouts and they can win close. They can win at home and they can win on the road. That is what makes this run feel so special.

This game was a perfect example of why you play all 48 minutes. I don't think it was possible for this team to look worse than how they played the first 24. The turnovers were back (10), Jaylen couldn't stop giving the ball to the other team, nobody could make a shot and the Heat were killing them in all the hustle areas. They were playing exactly like a team that was looking to give away a game.

That all changed after the break. I don't know what Ime said, but I'm glad he said it.

Suddenly, Tatum and Brown couldn't miss. They went from a 6-23 start to a 17-39 finish. Jaylen went nuts from three after not being able to do shit in the first half. The defense which we know is already the best on the planet did some best on the planet shit and held the Heat to an 0-8 start to the third quarter. Most importantly, they only had 5 TOs in the second half. They eliminated the points off turnovers and guess what? The Heat couldn't score in the half court. Just like we already knew. When this team rebounds and takes care of the ball, this Heat team cannot match them. They need you to be stupid and turn the ball over. When you don't, you can go on runs where before you know it you're up 17. You then add in elite defense

and that's how you blow someone out on the road. I know the final score was "close", but this was 20+ points in the 4th quarter. The Celts punched first in the second half and the Heat never recovered. An absolute kill shot from the first possession on from a team that finally started to play like the team we're used to watching.

In a series, Game 5 is the type of game where you need your stars to step up. It's nut cutting time and for a while there it looked like the Celts stars were going to let them down. But this is why we love and trust. They figured their shit out, guys like Derrick White (who carried this team early), Playoff Al, and Rob did their usual awesome shit and here we sit. Just one game away from the NBA Finals. This team. After everything we've been through, the highs and lows, the frustration and elation, it's all right there for the taking.

Of course, the job is not finished. You don't advance up 3-2. The goal is 4 wins. All the Celts did was give themselves an opportunity to finish the job on their home floor. The Heat look like a team that's ready to quit, so just play smart. You are literally knocking on the door to the Finals and a legit chance at the NBA title. Given the response we all just watched the Celts have, something tells me they smell blood.

We'll chat more in the morning. What a game. What a team.

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOO