Both Williams and teammate Derrick White agree Boston can’t be looking past them to the Finals if they want to win.
The Boston Celtics could very well punch their ticket to the 2022 NBA Finals with a win against the Miami Heat in Game 6 of their East Finals series with the Jimmy Butler-led squad, but to do it, they will have to defeat a team full of proud veterans who will not go quietly into the night.
Aware that the series is not yet over and that, even in their currently hobbled state, the Heat are still a team that can rip a win right out of the hands of a team that does not respect them, Boston’s Derrick White and Grant Williams both had words about the job ahead after practice on Friday.
“We don’t want to give them life,” explained White.
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics: 2022 NBA playoffs Game 6 Eastern Conference finals (5/27) https://t.co/Kl5V6zzbP8
Everything you need to know about Friday’s Game 6 matchup between Boston and Miami.
The Boston Celtics make their way back to their home court of TD Garden this Friday to take on the Miami Heat in the hopes of closing out their Eastern Conference finals series at home in Game 6. In possession of a 3-2 series lead, the Celtics are in pole position to do so but should expect the very best the Heat can muster against them as a result, even considering their current, banged-up state.
If you happen to be looking for a way to watch the action live on cable television or an online streaming service, keep reading while we get you up to speed on everything you need to know about the game.
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Let’s begin with who ought to be available to play.
Celtics Lab 115: Diving into whether Boston can close out their East Finals series vs. the Miami Heat in Game 6 with Gary Gulman https://t.co/R3g6LMLSgC
Will the Celtics punch a ticket to the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden Friday?
The Boston Celtics are a win away from the 2022 NBA Finals with a 3-2 series lead over the Miami Heat in the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference finals with the opportunity to close out the Heat on their home court of TD Garden.
Do the Celtics have the horses after having injured starters Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III play through swelling and discomfort? Can Miami dig deep and find a way to beat Boston on the road to force a decisive Game 7 in Florida? And how to sort through things sports-related in a week that quite understandably has our minds elsewhere?
In this episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, comedian, noted Celtics fan, and friend of the pod Gary Gulman dives into the post-Game 5 aftermath to see what we can prognosticate about the rest of the East finals.
Can the Celtics close out the East finals at TD Garden Friday?
“You have to give Boston a lot of credit,” said Minnesota Timberwolves veteran guard Patrick Beverly of the Boston Celtics‘ Game 5 win over the Miami Heat in the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference finals on a recent episode of ESPN’s “Keyshawn, JWill and Max” show. “They’ve adjusted to the game plan; they’ve adjusted to guys being in and out of the lineup.”
“They came out focused, came out locked in, and have got a chance to end this thing back in Boston,” he added. It takes a defensive specialist to fully appreciate how the Celtics have used their clamps coupled with better care being taken with the ball in this series to outmuscle the Heat to what is now a 3-2 series lead.
Check out the rest of what the hosts of the show had to talk about in conversation with Beverley regarding Boston’s chances to win the series in Game 6 at TD Garden on Friday.
Whatever it was, it seemed to work with the Celtics taking a 3-2 series lead.
In the first half of the Boston Celtics’ pivotal win over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference finals series on Wednesday night, the Celtics — and star forward Jaylen Brown in particular — were falling into the hands of the Heat by turning the ball over at a very high rate.
This is, as Celtics fans have by now learned, exactly what Miami wants and an integral part of how they generate offense. While a mostly preventable problem against most teams, the Heat’s active hands, length, and strength make adjusting to take care of the ball better a tough but achievable proposition.
After that forgettable first half, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka took Brown aside and spoke to him, with Brown improving considerably on ball control thereafter.
This is what the NBA and Celtics Twitter had to say about Boston’s decisive Game 5 win over the Heat.
The 2022 NBA Eastern Conference finals have been reduced to something like a war of attrition, both teams looking to survive the series as much as they seem to be trying to win it, and on Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics came out on top of the Miami Heat in a banged-up, defensive masterpiece that saw the Celtics come away with a 93-80 victory earned as much as by their fortitude as their second-half offensive renaissance.
Boston now heads back to TD Garden for Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead, in command of their fortunes completely for the first time since the start of the East finals, one win away from a 2022 NBA Finals in a matchup with the winners of the Golden State Warriors – Dallas Mavericks Western Conference finals series currently underway.
Let’s take a look at what NBA and Celtics Twitter had to say about Boston’s pivotal Game 5 win.
The Celtics grabbed a crucial Game 5 victory in Miami. Check out the highlight’s from Boston’s 93-80 victory.
The Boston Celtics snagged a pivotal Game 5 victory against the Miami Heat Wednesday night. The series now swings back to the Hub, where Boston has a chance to punch a ticket to the clubs first trip to the NBA finals since 2010. The first half was a bit of a slog for both teams. The Celtics scored just 37 points in the first two quarters combined. Still, we did see a few huge blocks from Robert Williams, among other key plays for the Celts. But turnovers and poor shooting made it hard for either team to pull ahead.
The second half was an entirely different story. Boston attacked the rim consistently, jumping out ahead of a rather listless Heat team. By the time the horn sounded, the C’s had won the third period 32-16. There was no looking back from there.
The fourth quarter saw the same dominance. Boston flexed big time grit and athleticism down the stretch, punctuated by a massive Jaylen Brown dunk down the lane. Miami’s lack of playmaking and injury struggles, meanwhile, showed up in a big way.
Jayson Tatum finished the game with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists. His partner in crime Jaylen Brown contributed 25 points and four rebounds. Derrick White and Al Horford also made big contributions, while the entire team excelled, per usual, on defense. Miami shot just 31.9% from the field.
The Celtics outscored the Heat 56-38 for the second half and now have a chance to close out the series on their home court. Boston is one win away from the NBA Finals.
Miami now faces elimination at TD Garden on Friday.
The Boston Celtics took everything the Miami Heat had in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference finals series with the top-seeded Heat, and still managed to still come away with the win in a brutal, grinding defensive celebration. Winning the contest with a grimier 93-80 win (if such a thing can be believed) than the score might otherwise suggest, the Celtics now head back to Boston with a 3-2 series lead thanks to the fortitude of their young roster when it counted most.
Big games from star forward Jaylen Brown (25 points, 4 rebounds), First Team forward Jayson Tatum (22 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists), and Al Horford (16 points, 7 boards, 5 assists) helped secure the win, with 14 points and 5 assists from reserve guard Derrick White the difference for Boston.
Let’s take a look at some of the best plays captured in images from Game 5.
‘I don’t have all the answers, but something does have to change,” says Boston’s Jayson Tatum on Uvalde, Texas school shooting https://t.co/q3N948RUqI
Can Boston take their first series lead of the East finals?
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have been taking turns blowing each other out so far in their Eastern Conference finals series to date, both teams alternating one big win after another. Injuries have been piling up for both ball clubs as well, which has also been considerably affecting how each team has been playing.
And while one cannot control how a body responds to the punishment playoff-level basketball requires on a night-to-night basis, there might be things the Celtics can do to snap the pattern and win two games in a row to take a potentially huge 3-2 series lead in the pivotal Game 5 matchup looming on Wednesday.
Offensive rebounds, flawless defense, and not turning the ball over on the attack are all key elements to the potential of Boston taking the lead for the first time in this series.
But is there anything else we need to watch for? How important will health be? The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast were joined by the host of the Off The Glass “Heaters Gonna Heat” podcast Kyle Russell to talk all things strategy in the East finals — check out the clip embedded above to hear their takes.
The Celtics center has been critical to wins in this series so far.
The Boston Celtics might be a little better off in their frontcourt than they could be if the optimism being reported on by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski surrounding the team regarding the availability of big man Robert Williams III for Game 5 of their Eastern Conference finals series against the Miami Heat ends up panning out.
Timelord has been playing through pain and at times swelling in his knee after a collision with Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the East semifinals gave the Louisiana native a bone bruise. The same knee he had previously had operated on at the end of the 2021-22 regular season, Williams is understandably being cautious with the joint.
But the Celtics are also in a position to win their pivotal Game 5 in a series tied up 2-2 with the Heat, putting the Texas A&M product in a position to finish off the series with a shot at some rest before the next round.
Boston Celtics center Robert Williams will test his left knee in warmups, but there’s optimism he’ll be available for Game 5 vs. Miami tonight, sources tell ESPN.
Williams will reportedly test his knee out along with teammate Marcus Smart his sprained foot ahead of tipoff per head coach Ime Udoka.
And while the lack of news about Smart included in Wojnarowski’s reporting may not be as promising, having Timelord on the court might just be enough for Boston Wednesday night.
