Celtics

Boston's dominance in a gritty victory all but ensured the Eastern Conference Finals will end in its return to TD Garden.

Miami had 26 points in the paint. In the second half, the Celtics blew it open. He had a team-high 13 points in the fourth. It had nine offensive rebounds, giving the Heat a 26–21 edge overall. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Tyler Herro, is out with a groin injury. The Heat’s offense is a wreck. He had six points in the third quarter. It sliced the turnovers in half. It outscored Miami 32–16 in the third quarter. It was 42–37 Heat at the half. It was 19–17 Miami after the first quarter. If it was a movie, it would have won a Razzie. ESPN would have been forgiven for cutting into the game for special coverage of Tom Brady’s (alleged) golf shot.

MIAMI — The Celtics will be at just about full health for their crucial Game 5 against the Heat on Wednesday. Both Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III are ...

Williams played in Games 1, 2 and 4 against the Heat, but sat Game 3 because of the knee soreness. Williams came back for Games 3 and 4 against the Nets, along with playing Games 1-3 against the Bucks. Smart missed Games 1 and 4 of the East Finals thus far, though the absences have been because of different injuries. He’s a crucial piece for the Celtics and Williams’ defense and lob threat add a different dimension to the lineup. Williams has been in-and-out of the lineup as Udoka said he’s going to be day-to-day for the rest of the postseason. Both Smart and Williams were questionable on Tuesday’s injury report, but they’ll be good to go.

The Boston Celtics have updated the statuses of Robert Williams and Marcus Smart ahead of Wednesday night's Game 5 against the Miami Heat.

Smart missed Game 4, but the Defensive Player of the Year has been key to Boston's success throughout their playoff run. Their presence should go a long way toward helping the C's take a 3-2 series lead back to Boston. Williams was a major contributor to Boston's 102-82 win over Miami in Game 4.

Smart and Herro both missed Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Miami will be put to the test in Game 5 without Herro. He missed Game 4, a Miami loss, and ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that in the regular season, his groin injury is the sort of issue that would typically keep a player out for 2-4 weeks. Marcus Smart, dealing with a sprained ankle, and Robert Williams III, who has been fighting a knee injury all postseason, will both play in Game 5 against Miami Wednesday. Heat guard Tyler Herro, dealing with a groin injury, will sit out again.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Celtics are now one win from the NBA finals thanks to some superb defense.

Boston outscored Miami 32-16 in the third quarter, holding the Heat to 17% shooting. The Celtics haven’t reached the NBA Finals since 2010. The turnaround was 59-58 Boston to 83-60 Boston. Game 6 is in Boston on Friday night, where a pair of trophies bearing the names of Celtics legends will be waiting. They ran away after halftime to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 on Wednesday night and take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference title series. They believe their defense, as has been the case time and again in these playoffs, will eventually wear down teams.

Boston's 93-80 victory over the Miami Heat during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals gave the team a 3-2 advantage in the series and placed it just one win ...

It’s the great teams that embrace the ugly. Such a blend of ingredients led to Boston pulling ahead by 23 points with 8:21 remaining in the fourth quarter – a 28-point turnaround over just 15-plus minutes of action following halftime. It’s the great teams that find a way to beat other great teams in a variety of ways. Boston began to display a heightened level of aggression and decisiveness with the ball that the Heat simply could not handle. Wednesday’s victory was unlike Boston’s first two wins of the series, which were logged in runaway fashion and were buoyed by elite play from start to finish. Bodies were flying in every which direction and players were limping up and down the court over the first 24 minutes.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a berth in the NBA Finals, running away after halftime to ...

A 14-2 run was how Boston opened the fourth quarter, Brown capping the flurry by making three 3-pointers in a span of 2 1/2 minutes, and the lead was out to 23. Miami led 19-17 after one and 42-37 at the break. The Celtics haven't reached the NBA Finals since 2010. The margin was only 11 at that point — but soon, the game was in zero doubt. The score over a 6 1/2-minute stretch of the second half: Celtics 24, Heat 2. Game 6 is Friday night in Boston, where a pair of newly named trophies bearing the names of Celtics legends will be waiting.

The Celtics now have a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals after Jaylen Brown helped turn Game 5 around and sparked an impressive win.

“But the mindset and the talk that we had after the game was we were down 3-2 last time, had to go on the road and win a Game 6, and we did. “This is a great opportunity,” he said. “He knows how to play through it, with an injury,” Udoka said. But just come out and play our game and we’ll be fine.” In the third quarter, he drove the length of the floor and scored through a foul in transition. When he was going to come out, he just wanted to extra stretch. In the fourth, he rattled in a spot-up 3-pointer. 3. Without Derrick White in the first half, the Celtics would have been down by a lot more than five. Udoka told ESPN after the first quarter that he suffered another stinger, but something clearly seemed to be going on. “He was great. “Whether he takes a tough pull-up, some guys are tough shot makers, and he’s one of them. We’d rather have him do that 100 percent of the time rather than turn the ball over.

Jaylen Brown was the face of the Celtics' turnaround Wednesday night as they beat the Heat to put themselves on the brink of advancing to the NBA Finals.

Getting on to Boston and figuring that out collectively, those are the emotions and the breakthroughs that you have that you remember the rest of your life. Brown and Tatum certainly did so in the second half. The job's just not finished yet." It was unclear whether Boston was going to be able to actually follow through on Brown's instructions after yet another ugly stretch of basketball in this series for the Celtics in the first half of Game 5. It was a game that, like the rest of this series, will never be called pretty. Its starting backcourt of Kyle Lowry and Max Strus combined to go 0-for-15 from the field and 0-for-12 from 3-point range for the game. "Same player," Brown said from the first half to the second. As the game wears on, some of that energy, some of that intensity starts to wear off, so the game opens up a little bit. While Tatum and Brown were combining to go 10-for-33 in the first half, and the Celtics were throwing the ball around, Miami couldn't hit anything, either. [Just] come out, play basketball in the second half." I didn't want to look into the past, think that this game was over. "We weren't playing our best, in a lot of ways," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics to a 93-80 win over the Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednsday. Boston will host Game 6 Friday.

Derrick White (14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with five assists and two steals) provided a spark off the bench. Even while playing with a hurt shoulder, Jayson Tatum (22 points on 7-of-20 shooting, 12 rebounds and nine assists) contributed so much more, especially scoring 18 points in the second half. The Heat game-planned for all those misses and hit the offensive glass hard. Butler (13 points on 4-of-18 shooting) looked hobbled by a knee injury. Recently returned from a hamstring injury, Kyle Lowry (zero points on 0-for-6 shooting with three turnovers) struggled. Jaylen Brown‘s first step left an ailing Jimmy Butler, one of the NBA’s top defenders when healthy, in the dust on the perimeter.

Los Boston Celtics están a una victoria de las Finales de la NBA. Después de una primera mitad lenta del Juego 5 del miércoles por la noche contra el Miami.

Brown anotó 19 de sus 25 puntos en la segunda mitad y no entregó el balón en los últimos dos cuartos. Su problema en el hombro pareció estar molestándolo durante todo el partido del miércoles por la noche, pero el hecho de que se lo quitó de encima para una gran actuación en la segunda mitad es alentador. Anotaron 28 de sus 42 puntos en la primera mitad gracias a pérdidas de balón de los Celtics o segundas oportunidades. Brown entregó el balón cuatro veces solo en el primer cuarto, y el equipo tuvo 10 pérdidas de balón en la primera mitad. Jaylen Brown (25 puntos) y Jayson Tatum (22 puntos) superaron sus problemas de la primera mitad para ayudar a los Celtics a lograr otra victoria desproporcionada. Después de una primera mitad lenta del Juego 5 del miércoles por la noche contra el Miami Heat, los Celtics se alejaron en el tercer cuarto y lo acumularon en el cuarto para obtener la victoria 93-80.

Brown y Tatum, con 25 y 22 puntos, respectivamente, brillaron en la duela para acercar a Boston a las Finales de NBA. Los Boston Celtics recobran la ventaja ...

Irreconocibles estuvieron el la duela del FTX Arena de Miami las quintetas de coach Ime Udoka y Erik Spoelstra, pues al finalizar la primera mitad habían ...

Bam Adebayo fue el mejor elemento de Miami al registrar un doble doble de 18 puntos y 10 tableros, mientras que la estrella del equipo, Jimmy Butler se fue con 13 unidades. Un errático Juego 5 fue el que ofrecieron en la Final de la Conferencia Este los Boston Celtics y el Miami Heat en el que al final de los cuatro periodos se vio favorecido el visitente para ganar 93-80 y ponerse adelante 3-2 en la serie al mejor de siete. El Heat tenía la obligación de ganar en casa para tomar la ventaja y viajar tranquilo a Boston en espera del sexto juego que será el viernes en el TD Garde; sin embargo, estuvo errático tanto en lo individual como en los colectivo.

Y es difícil refutar eso. Después de todo, ha ocurrido varias veces en estos playoffs. Jaylen Brown anotó 25 puntos, Jayson Tatum agregó 22 y Boston se colocó a ...

Pero estos chicos están lejos del 100% en ambos bandos”. Gabe Vincent agregó 15 unidades, Jimmy Butler 13 y Duncan Robinson 11 por Miami. Jaylen Brown anotó 25 puntos, Jayson Tatum agregó 22 y Boston se colocó a un triunfo de avanzar a las Finales de la NBA. Los Celtics ampliaron su ventaja después del medio tiempo para superar el miércoles por 93-80 al Heat de Miami, y se fueron arriba por 3-2 en la serie por el título de la Conferencia Este.

With a 3-2 series lead going back to Boston for Game 6, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have the Celtics in their best position to reach the NBA Finals.

"This is a big game for us," Brown said. When he gets going, when I get going, we know that we're going to put ourselves in a good spot to win." But just come out and play our game and we'll be fine." From the outside, Tatum and Brown are low-maintenance players. "Watched a lot of film together. The Heat outlasted the Celtics in six games in the bubble in the 2020 conference finals. Brown and Tatum now face the biggest game of their careers. "I'm a lot better, J.B. is. Tatum had 18 in the second half. "J.T. and J.B. got it going, both those guys," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. So, know that it's possible," Tatum said, referencing last round when the Celtics won at Milwaukee, then at home in Game 7. ... As I always say, we rely on the defensive end (and) know our offense will pick up eventually.

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics face off on Friday at TD Garden in Boston in Game 6 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Miami has played 82 games this season, and 51 of them have hit the over. Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Jessie Carter: "Boston’s key men have been in fantastic shape lately, and if they continue to play at the same level, their fans have nothing to worry about. Jason Radowitz writes: "Coming into Game 6, the Celtics are now heavy favorites against the Heat. The Celtics are expected to finish the job, at home, against a Heat team that just looks too banged up to compete. Take the Celtics to win by double figures in Game 6."

Jayson Tatum grabbed the rebound off a Bam Adebayo missed jump shot, and he gets the ball ahead to Jaylen Brown, sparking a tic-tac-toe sequence of passes as it ...

Robinson tries coming from inside to get to Brown, but the latter blows by him, and Robinson gets in Butler's path, taking him out of the equation. White get's it to Tatum, and the latter spins on Strus, creates separation with his right shoulder, then gets the ball back to his right hand for a layup. But Williams chests him, preventing that from happening, Robert Williams is there, serving as a rim deterrent, and Adebayo kicks the ball out to Gabe Vincent.

Miami can have its glitz and glamor. Boston has a gritty basketball team that hangs its hat on the defensive end. As Chris Forsberg writes, the Celtics' ...

It was great to have, even in a limited role, Marcus and Rob, to be able to be out there, because their presence on that side of the ball is felt … Celtics fans, a sea of green amid the Heat’s “white out,” loudly celebrated the team’s victory. And a loud tomahawk dunk by Brown put the exclamation point on Boston’s second-half smackdown. As soon as Tatum and Brown got hot, the game was over. It was one of the lowest numbers in the NBA this entire season, per Cleaning the Glass data. This is the sort of team that first-year coach Ime Udoka envisioned when he got hired.

Minnesota Timberwolves' point guard Patrick Beverley joined ESPN's talk show “Get Up” Thursday to discuss how the Boston Celtics managed to defeat the Miami ...

It’s just the defense that has been a big part of this and it demoralizes you.” “I had the Heat winning the series. “It (Celtics’ defense) certainly is a big part of it because it’s all about contesting those shots,” Hahn said.

Zach Harper breaks down the key player and more from Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Butler has no legs right now, and he is going to have to find some bounce in Game 6 to have his way around the basket. The moment it was over: The Celtics went on a 10-0 run to finish the third quarter and then started the fourth with a 14-2 run. What can the Heat do to win Game 6? What can the Celtics do to win Game 6? Those three were a combined 4-for-27 in Game 4, which pushes their total over the last two games to a combined 8-for-60, 13.3 percent from the field. After scoring four points on 1-of-9 shooting in the first half, Tatum exploded for 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the second half.

Throughout five games of the roller-coaster Eastern Conference finals, one team has shown its ability to withstand the gauntlet of injuries and setbacks.

Herro averaged almost 21 points a game this season, and that production has proved irreplaceable, as Miami has averaged 81 as a team over the losses in Games 4 and 5. Some like to point out that in certain years, the title winner should have an asterisk because injuries or other circumstances played roles in their victories. "The mental stress and strain we put on some teams with our defense has worked and carried us through the playoffs at times," Udoka said. But the reason the Celtics won was because they just had more healthy players at the right times. Getting White has proved a vital addition, as Marcus Smart has missed three games this postseason because of quadriceps, foot and ankle injuries. That was after his 13 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in place of Smart in Game 4. This is not to say White is a main reason the Celtics are one win from their first NBA Finals appearance in 12 years. Tyler Herro has missed the past two games because of a groin injury. More importantly, it was the awaited signal that the Spurs were open to trades -- and the Celtics wanted in. Jimmy Butler is playing on one leg, a sore knee halting his ability to get off a jump shot or get past defenders. Four 50-win teams were separated by two games in the standings. His explosiveness has been robbed by a hamstring injury.

After a huge Game 5 victory in Miami, the Boston Celtics are one step away from punching their ticket to the NBA Finals. Can they finish the Heat?

Then again, which team isn’t battling injuries at this point in the postseason? In fact, Tyler Herro hasn’t played in the last two games. Still, Boston appears primed to clinch a spot in the NBA Finals – which will likely lead to a clash with the Golden State Warriors.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has cooled off from trolling his Twitter following of over two million over the last few years. Every now and then, ...

"Troel" Embiid knew exactly what he was doing on Wednesday night and clearly got a kick out of it. And here is where Embiid decided to troll his followers. The Miami Heat struggled against the Celtics on Wednesday night.

Sixers star Joel Embiid sent a couple tweets during Game 5 of the Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals that had NBA Twitter buzzing with speculation.

No Heat player scored more than 20 points (Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler led the way with 18 and 15 respectively), while the Celtics got a combined 47 points from young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in addition to 16 from Al Horford and 14 from Derrick White. Embiid tried to put out the fire he caused as well. It's a fair point from Embiid: The Heat were a train wreck offensively, shooting a season-low 31.9 percent from the floor and missing a franchise-record 38 3-pointers (7 for 45) in a 93-80 loss.