By Jeff Zillgitt
Facing elimination, the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 121-108 in game five of the eastern conference finals on Friday, with the Heat holding a 3-2 series lead ahead of game six.
The Celtics outscored the Heat 70-50 in the second half and leaned on their young stars. Forward Jayson Tatum, 22, scored 17 of his game-high 31 points in the third quarter, and had 10 rebounds and six assists.
Boston's Jayson Tatum drives against Miami Heat's Andre Iguodala in their eastern conference final play-off clash.Credit: AP
Boston forward Jaylen Brown, 23, scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half, and teammate Daniel Theis finally got the better of his counterpart, Miami centre Bam Adebayo, with 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
"Our deal was to come out and play, come out and compete, give it our best shot," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "I thought we played pretty well in the second half. But we're going to have to do it again and again because of the position we're in . . . We care about competing. We care about representing our team and our organisation well. We care about each other. I mean, that's why you compete."
While all games are played at a neutral site at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, there is a designated home team based on seed, and the Celtics last won a "home" game on August 19 in the first round of the play-offs.
The home team gets the raucous introductions just before tip-off, but nothing can recreate 18,000 fans at TD Garden for a play-off game.
"Obviously, as much as the NBA has tried to make the home stuff matter, it just doesn't," Stevens said earlier in the series. "It has no impact, unfortunately. I'm not sure that we've played in a home game where the home team has won in three weeks. At the end of the day, it's just guys playing in between those lines and who executes better and who plays the whole 48 or 53 or 58 minutes, or however long it takes, better."
Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis celebrate after Boston's win over Miami.Credit: Getty Images
The Celtics meandered through the first half without much purpose, settling for three-pointers and playing apathetic defence. They trailed 60-51 early in the third quarter. But then it began to click for Boston. They started forcing the action on both ends – driving to the bucket looking for the best shot and defending with urgency.
The Celtics went on a 20-3 run and took a 71-63 lead with 5:39 left in the third. They shot 54.2 per cent from the field and made 11 of 12 free throws.
By the midway point of the fourth quarter, Boston held a 107-91 advantage.
"Boston played great in that second half," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They deserved and earned what they got. We understand how tough it is to win in the play-offs. We did not compete hard enough defensively, and we paid the price for that. But you do have to credit Boston. They played with great force, particularly off the dribble."
Miami's Goran Dragic scored a team-high 23 points, and Jimmy Butler had 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The Heat shot just 19.4 per cent on three-pointers.
McClatchy