“Don’t let us get one,” they said.
You must have laughed.
“Tell me when you get two,” you said.
So what do we think of the Celtics today?
Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals is not a game. It was a beating. Boston led by 15 after the first quarter. It was 17 at halftime and 18 late in the third, when Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told Jimmy Butler to call it a night. The Celtics made threes, 41% of them. The Heat made turnovers, 16 of them, where Boston scored 27 points.
“There are no excuses,” Spoelstra said. “The Celtics beat us tonight.”
“Our backs are against the wall,” said Boston coach Joe Mazzulla. “And we’re together.”
No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. But are we starting to think the Celtics can? Miami has road with Boston in the first three games of this series. Jimmy Butler is the best player on the floor. But Jayson Tatum found his shooting stroke in Game 4. Grant Williams found a role. And the Celtics defense found its identity.
“I think when we got together,” Jaylen Brown said, “we looked each other in the eye and said ‘hey, we’re not going out like this.'”
What is with these Celtics? For 57 games this season, they look like title favorites. Tatum is an MVP candidate. Brown, All-NBA. The team has its best winning percentage since the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce years.
But in the playoffs they can easily clunker. Game 5 against Atlanta. Game 5 against Philadelphia. In what seemed like a must-win Game 3 against Miami, the Celtics didn’t show up.
“I wish I was [knew] the answer,” said Tatum. “For some strange reason, even last year, we always made it harder on ourselves. But what I know is that you can see the true character of a person, in a team when things aren’t going well, and our ability to come together, figure things out when things aren’t going well for us, it’s unlike any team I’ve been a part of this year and last year, the core group of men who can answer.”
Done by the defense. Miami shot 51.9% from the field in the first three games. They connected on 47.4% of the last two. The Heat shot 47.8% from three in three wins. In its two losses, 30.9%. On Thursday, Miami didn’t collect a second chance until midway through the fourth quarter.
“Their activity level has gone up the last two games,” Spoelstra said.
To say the least.
Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports
Marcus Smart is everywhere. Derrick White is great. White scored 24 points. He was 6-of-8 from three. Butler finished with 14 points. For most of the game, White was covered by all of him. Tatum scored 21 points. The 11 assists were even more impressive. In the first three games, Boston shot 29% from three. In the last two it jumped to 40%. In the last two games, the Celtics outscored the Heat 102-51 from beyond the arc.
“Spacing,” said Mazzulla. “When we play fast but organized, that’s when we’re at our best.”
And what about Mazzulla? Most of Boston had him cleaning his office today. There were calls for Mike Budenholzer. For Nick Nurse. Even a reunion with Doc Rivers. But Mazzulla prepared the Celtics to play in the second half of Game 3. He energized them from the start of Game 4. “One of our assistants put it in perspective,” said Mazzulla. “The weather [is] like nine months long, and we had a bad week. When TNT broke a Boston huddle, Mazzulla could be heard urging the Celtics to be more physical. Every player met him and nodded his head.
Mazzulla has now won four games when facing elimination, only the third rookie coach to do so. Whether he deserved the fading criticism he received after the first three games Mazzulla earned praise after the last two games.
Before the game, Mazzulla was asked how he handled the pressure. He revealed that he had recently met three women, all under the age of 21, who were suffering from cancer. They talk about life. About death. About enjoying life, no matter what. “I thought I was helping them by talking to them,” Mazzulla said, “and they were helping me.”
Miami isn’t done yet. There are still two games left to win one. “We always stay positive,” Jimmy Butler said, “knowing that we can and we will win this series.” But Boston has momentum. It has confidence. On paper this is the better team. In the last two games, it played out like this.
“They let us get two,” Brown said. “Don’t get us another one.”
It was funny once.
Now? Not much.
