Celtics injury report: Robert Williams III, Marcus Smart gametime decisions in Game 5 vs. Miami Heat

Miami’s Tyler Herro reportedly also wants to play in Game 5, if possible.

The Boston Celtics may not have any clarity on who will be playing for them for certain in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference finals series with the Miami Heat on Wednesday night until just before tipoff, according to Celtics head coach Ime Udoka.

With both veteran point guard Marcus Smart (foot and ankle sprain) and big man Robert Williams III (knee) both listed as questionable for the critical Wednesday night contest, Udoka shared some information on how the duo was doing after shootaround that day. Smart and Williams were “feeling better” but the former still has “some swelling and pain, soreness,” noting that they’ll both be tested pre-game to see how they are feeling.

On the other side of the matchup, no major changes have been reported with the Heat, though injured Miami guard Tyler Herro reportedly hopes to play through a groin injury ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne relates usually requires two to four weeks to rehabilitate, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Boston Celtics at Miami Heat: 2022 NBA playoffs Game 5 Eastern Conference finals (5/25)

Everything you need to know about Wednesday’s Game 5 matchup between Boston and Miami.

The Boston Celtics make the trek back to Florida to try to win another game on the Miami Heat’s home court in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals that is tied at 2. Both clubs are banged up and dealing with a number of important players on the injured list.

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.

Let’s begin with who ought to be available to play.

Celtics Lab 114: Are there any adjustments left? Exploring the Boston-Miami Heat East finals with Kyle Russell

Should we expect another blowout-inducing adjustment from the Heat? Or is it just playing better and staying healthy to focus on?

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat appear to be trading haymakers in their Eastern Conference finals series as each team adjusts to how the other played in the game prior, and bodies are turning up with the sort of damage one might expect in a match between two heavyweights, both teams looking at playing Game 5 without key players being available.

After a 102-82 blowout of the Heat at TD Garden on Monday, the series shifts back to Florida — have the Celtics found the right way to play in order to put the Heat in their proverbial rearview mirror? Or can we expect Miami to unlock another gear despite all their dings and bruises? Are there any adjustments left for either team beyond simply playing better?

This episode, we are joined by Kyle Russell of the Off The Glass podcast “Heaters Gonna Heat” to get as unbiased a view as we could for what we ought to expect from both teams in Game 5 and beyond.

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Join your usual hosts Justin Quinn, Alex Goldberg, and Cameron Tabatabaie as we dive deep into Game 5 futures ahead of Wednesday’s big game.

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This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Boston Celtics ‘hopeful for the best’ regarding Robert Williams III’s knee for Game 5 vs. Miami Heat

In a series that could be decided by health, Boston will have to wait and see how Timelord’s body responds.

The presence of big man Robert Williams III has been palpable on the court in the Boston Celtics‘ East finals series with the Miami Heat so far, the Celtics looking like a much better version of themselves when he has been able to play. Williams has been playing through lingering discomfort in the knee he had operated on to repair a torn meniscus in March however and was visibly limping later in Game 4 on Monday.

Speaking after practice Tuesday, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka related that the Texas A&M product “coped with” the discomfort “well last night” noting you “never know until the next day or two” how his knee will respond.

“We truly don’t know … until he lets us know how he feels,” added Udoka. “It’s swelling and pain, (and) it’s literally day-to-day. We’re hopeful for the best, but you never know how his body responds to it.”

The Celtics ought to have all their appendages that are not currently recovering from an injury crossed ahead of Game 5 given their best contests have come in this series when he is available.

Check back at the Celtics Wire often for updates on how he and teammate Marcus Smart are recovering from their respective injuries.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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‘If I was going to fail, I was going to do it aggressively,’ said Derrick White of his mindset going into Game 4 vs. Heat

Getting back to what makes him great helped the new dad help his team.

The Boston Celtics traded for Derrick White to push their team closer to contending for a title, and while it isn’t always in a flashy way, to date he has largely succeeded in regard. But sometimes his team needs more from him, such as in this series against the Miami Heat in the 2022 East finals and particularly in Game 4 with the team down starting point guard Marcus Smart.

“I said this morning if I was going to fail, I was going to do it aggressively, and just try to get back to how I play,” offered White after Boston’s 102-82 blowout of Miami Monday. Acknowledging that he had an uphill battle getting shoehorned into a new system at the trade deadline, the former San Antonio Spur shared that “the team has done a great job of being like ‘Just be you.'”

“(Marcus) Smart said it to me this morning, Rob (Williams III) said I just have to do that, so that makes it a lot easier.”

While his counting stats may not scream success at the casual fans’ sensibilities, his play on the court connects the dots for the eye test.

And more importantly, got Boston the win when it counted most.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Three keys to a Boston Celtics trip to the 2022 NBA Finals

What do the Celtics need to do to punch a ticket to the 2022 NBA Finals? These three things may be critical for Boston.

At the time of this writing, the Eastern Conference finals is knotted up 2-2 following the Boston Celtics‘ big bounce-back win over the Miami Heat. The series heads back to South Beach, where the Celtics will need to grab at least one road victory in order to punch a ticket to the 2022 NBA Finals.

At times Boston has looked like the far superior team in the series. Just the same, though, there are moments where the Celtics look more like they did in December than any sort of contender. The ups and downs have been a consistent theme during this postseason. If head coach Ime Udoka can help iron out some of his club’s bigger issues, Boston has a real chance at returning to the NBA world series for the first time since 2010.

Here’s what the Celtics need to do to eliminate the Heat from contention and move on to the Finals.

Celtics highlights: Boston obliterates Miami 102-82 at home in Game 4 of East finals

The series is now knotted up as it shifts back to Florida for Game 5.

If an NBA series were played out in call-and-response format, the series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference finals would be the textbook definition staring back at you from the pages of your dictionary, the team to go to the 2022 NBA Finals perhaps simply the first team in the series to win two games in a row.

In Game 4, the Celtics came out on top with a 102-82 win that saw the guys in green ahead from tipoff to the final buzzer. Big games from star swingman Jayson Tatum (31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists), reserve guard Payton Pritchard (14 points off of the bench), guard Derrick White (13 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals), and big man Robert Williams III (12 points, 9 rebounds) helped Boston even up the series at 2 games each heading back to Florida.

If you missed the game or just want another look at the Celtics’ big Game 4 win, check out the clip embedded below.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Celtics, NBA Twitter react to Boston’s 102-82 blowout win of Heat in Game 4

These two East juggernauts have been trading blows all series, and this time it was the Celtics’ turn to throw a haymaker.

The Boston Celtics were determined not to get embarrassed on their home court of TD Garden two games in a row, and managed to become the team doing the embarrassing as a result in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference finals series with the Miami Heat on Monday night, the Celtics tying the series up 2-2 with a 102-82 domination of the Heat.

The wire-to-wire victory was driven by star forward Jayson Tatum’s 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, with an additional four other Celtics scoring in double figures on the way to the crucial win for Boston. The series now heads back to Florida for Game 5 as the two East behemoths continue trading postseason blows.

Let’s take a look at what was being said about the game on Celtics and NBA Twitter.

Heat at Celtics: Boston beats up on the Heat at the Garden 102-82 to win Game 4

Some of the best plays of Game 4 captured in images.

The Boston Celtics came out strong against the Miami Heat on their home court of TD Garden for Game 4 of their 2022 NBA Eastern Conference finals series and continued the alternating pattern of blowouts in this series with a 102-82 victory over the Heat on Monday night to even up the series at 2 games each.

The absence of veteran point guard Marcus Smart was more than survivable with the return of big man Robert Williams III (12 points, 9 rebounds), even though Timelord was among the first of the team’s starters to rest with a noticeable limp as the game wore on. The Celtics and all players were led by All-Star Swingman Jayson Tatum’s 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, and reserve forward Payton Pritchard chipped in another 12 points off of the bench.

Let’s take a look at some of the best plays of Game 4 captured in images.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

Shams: Boston’s Robert Williams III ‘likely to play’ in Game 4 vs. the Miami Heat

The Boston big man has been dealing with knee soreness.

There could be a little more depth in the Boston Celtics‘ frontcourt for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference finals series against the Miami Heat on Monday night at TD Garden with The Athletic’s Shams Charania reporting that the big man “is likely to play in Game 4 tonight vs. Miami” after missing Game 3 with discomfort in the same knee he had previously had operated on for a torn meniscus in March.

After a massive game from Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Boston would welcome Timelord’s presence on the court to help slow the Heat center on a team that is itself struggling with six players currently listed on the team’s injury report for Game 4. One of them, Tyler Herro, has already been ruled out for the contest on Monday, and Boston awaits word from star point guard Marcus Smart, who is a game-time decision with a sprained ankle also sustained in Game 3.

Game 4 and perhaps even the series could well be decided by who is able to play for which team and for how long, so check back for any further details on player availability on the Celtics Wire.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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