Celtics

For the first time in a long time, Golden State's Curry couldn't hit a single 3-pointer. His teammates had better luck with their shots.

When Celtics forward Jayson Tatum knocked over Payton with just under four minutes left in the game, Payton put his palms on the ground and began to do push-ups. The whole notion of this guy doesn’t, he doesn’t have help, well, you’ve got 43, he’s going to keep shooting, and we’re going to do all that we can to get him shooting it.” In the days between Games 4 and 5 he watched film with a dual purpose: He wanted to see what worked so he could try to replicate it. “His vert and his ability to slide in front of the ball, obviously we know where that came from: from his pops. “For us to still go into the fourth quarter with the lead, that’s huge. It was also a 104-94 victory that gave Golden State a 3-2 lead in the finals and a chance to win a championship in Boston on Thursday. They held the Celtics to just 94 points, and scored 22 points off Boston’s 18 turnovers. He had a block in the first quarter when he smacked the ball away from Celtics guard Jaylen Brown. Wiggs is Andrew Wiggins, who once was called a bust when some thought he couldn’t deliver on the promise of being a No. 1 overall pick in the draft. But his vert is something special, and his improved jump shot has also been a huge weapon for us.” Reliant on Curry for the first four games of this series against the Boston Celtics, Golden State showed its ability to succeed even when his shot wasn’t working. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier after a 0-for-whatever type of night,” Curry said later.

The Celtics find themselves in this precarious position once again after dropping Game 5 of the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. After ...

The Warriors will have a chance to win a Larry O'Brien trophy in Boston on Thursday night. It's not over; we just have to win on Thursday and that's all we have to worry about right now." And despite the disappointing outcome on Monday, the Celtics remain confident that they can win Thursday to force a Game 7. We don't have a choice; it's win or go home," said Brown. "We worked incredibly hard to put ourselves in this position and we have a lot more better basketball to play, which we haven't played in the last two games. In the NBA Finals, the winner of Game 5 in a 2-2 series has gone on to win it all 73-3 percent of the time (22-8). But first, the Celtics need to win Game 6 at TD Garden on Thursday night.

Golden State is crowding, frustrating and forcing Boston into a heap of turnovers -- and it's tilting the NBA Finals.

"We'll regroup and bounce back," Tatum said, referencing a tone he has gone to as the Celtics have faced elimination games throughout this run. "The key to our game is defense." After going seven games the past two rounds, the Celtics will have to do it again to win the title. But they finished outside the top 10 in three of the previous four seasons, even when they reached the Finals in 2018 and 2019. It's a flaw that has been frustrating for a team that is so close to its ultimate goal. When Curry scored 43 points in Game 4 ... the Warriors had 107 as a team. "Probably something we shouldn't do as much," Udoka said of the complaining. They rededicated themselves to it over the past year, with current defensive coordinator and newest Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown leading the effort. On Monday, they drew two technical fouls, including one from Udoka, who usually tries to get his players to stop whining and get back on defense after they don't get a preferred whistle. They are refusing to give Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics' primary ball handlers, much space. The Golden State Warriors are one win from claiming another title after a 104-94 Game 5 victory over the Boston Celtics Monday night. When the Celtics get sloppy on offense, they regularly look to the officials for answers.

Boston made the Warriors look silly in the third, only to have it fall apart in the fourth.

The Warriors don’t have to match the Celtics’ high points if they don’t match their low ones, which is how they got the lead in this series. It seems like they can go from just being in every opponent’s space constantly (and covering up every driving and passing lane) to them bitching at the refs and each other and chucking the ball all over the arena like they were Steamin’ Wille Beamon on a coke binge with nothing more than a stiff breeze. The look after he saved one to clinch a berth pretty much sums up any interaction anyone has ever had with an Aussie — not nearly as entertaining and funny as they think they are but just charming enough to get away with it. Not the saving of penalties so much as the whole rigamarole during them that puts shooters off. Maybe they just can’t help but destroy their own creation to give them the furor they need to feed on. Every Golden State possession looked like they were trying to move a couch to a third floor walk-up, while the C’s zipped and whipped the ball around on offense for a chain of open looks. When they point that rage at the world in general, they’re great. They went 0-5 from three, and about the only thing keeping them in the game was the fact that Steph Curry’s radar was off all night as he went 0-for-9 from 3-point range. Most evidenced by them going 6-for-9 from three in the stanza, and making eight straight from the second quarter. It’s the easy-to-reach conclusion as the Celtics sure look like the better team most of the time. Such volatility would normally always see a team eat it before this round, but the Celtics are that talented at the same time. I suppose, when it’s all over, if the Warriors close this out, this Finals will be billed as an example of just how much experience in the championship round matters.

Ime Udoka met with the media after the Boston Celtics lost Game 5 of the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in California.

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? The Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ended their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. Game 6 of the series will be at the TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night, and if there is a Game 7 it will be back at the Chase Center in California on Sunday night. "The message to the guys is to be confident going home, get your rest and then let's get ready to bring it back here," Udoka shared.

Andrew Wiggins lifted the Golden State Warriors to a 104-94 win in Game 5 over the Boston Celtics with 26 points and 13 rebounds.

A couple great last-ditch closeouts in scramble situations. Golden State has been using him like this the entire postseason and he’s delivering on the biggest stage tonight. •1h ago •1h ago •1h ago Has earned every dollar of his max deal in these playoffs. Played 43 minutes of hounding perimeter defense. The Celtics will lose twice in a row for the first time this postseason. He’s the greatest shooter ever. This is the time we look each other in the eye and figure it out…There’s no tomorrow." That's exactly what we need." Draymond Green on Steph Curry: "He was 0-for-9 from 3.

The series is tied 2-2 ... for now. Here's what's going down at the Chase Center as the Celtics and Warriors take their talents back to the Bay for a ...

Jay-Z was in attendance on Monday. He was also at Chase Center for Game 1 of the Finals. -- Youngmisuk Meanwhile, Tatum, who has paid homage to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan throughout the postseason, looked poised to drop 50, er -- was back on his GOAT vibes rocking a T-shirt with Tiger Woods on it. Boston managed to stick around in the game despite a generally awful offensive performance throughout the first half. That includes being outscored by 35 points in the two games back in Boston. Two things of note on the Warriors side: Andre Iguodala got some first quarter minutes that did not go well whatsoever. The Celtics outscored Golden State 35-24 in the third, which allowed Boston to cut what was a 12-point halftime deficit to one. The Warriors shot over 50 percent from the field. After knocking down a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer, Jordan Poole walked to the corner of the court and screamed back at fans as they cheered him on. The early 2000s would be proud of this series. The combined score throughout the first four games was 422-421, with the Warriors holding the ever-so-slight advantage. Wiggs is making the game look easy. What was less obvious: How the latest installment of this fascinating series would play out.

The Celtics beat themselves with turnovers and missed free throws in Game 5 as they fell to the Warriors, 104-94. Here are our takeaways from the loss as ...

As for Jaylen Brown, he struggled mightily in the first half with four points on 2-of-10 shooting, along with three turnovers. While he did his part to get Boston back into the game, Tatum once again failed to make his presence felt in the fourth quarter. Tatum's night got off to a rough start with a turnover on the C's first possession. Wiggins came out firing with 16 points in the first half, his postseason career-high for a single half. They ended up outscoring the Celtics by 15 in the quarter to earn a 104-94 win and a 3-2 series lead. But Jordan Poole shifted the momentum back in the Golden State Warriors' favor with a 33-footer to end the frame, and Boston wouldn't recover.

Andrew Wiggins powered Golden State's victory on an off night for Stephen Curry, who went 0 for 9 from 3-point range.

In the first half, Golden State was buoyed by Wiggins, who had 16 points and 7 rebounds, and by Draymond Green, who assembled one of his more assertive stretches of the finals. Golden State appeared locked in from the start, passing the ball from side to side, from corner to corner, in constant pursuit of the best possible shot. Not that the team was always able to connect, shooting 3 of 17 from 3-point range in the first half. By the time Thompson shed Smart to make another 3-pointer, Golden State was back up by 8 points. The Celtics soon took the lead when Marcus Smart and Al Horford connected on consecutive 3-pointers of their own, part of a 19-4 run. SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State had been mucking up its offense for nearly the entire third quarter on Monday night when Andrew Wiggins pushed the ball ahead to Jordan Poole, a young guard with enormous confidence.

Game 5 was "The Andrew Wiggins Game" as the Warriors put themselves one win away from the NBA title.

The Warriors lead 17-8 with 3:50 to play in the first. Golden State remains in the lead 32-24 with 8:36 to play in the half. Golden State held the Celtics to a playoff-low 16 points in the first quarter, as Boston shot 0-for-5 from 3 with four turnovers. The Warriors lead 12-4 through the first four minutes. Two other things to note: Jayson Tatum went to the bench with zero shot attempts during his first stint and Kevon Looney has racked up three fouls in three minutes of playing time. 10:32 p.m.: The Celtics break out of halftime with a quick 10-0 run to cut the Warriors' lead to just two points. 10:10 p.m.: The Warriors head into halftime with a comfortable lead and their deathly third quarter is looming. Golden State leads 82-74 with 9:30 to play in the game. Boston leads 70-67 with 1:25 to go in the third. 11:21 p.m.: The Warriors' defense has stifled the Celtics in the fourth quarter, holding them to just five points. 11:26 p.m.: Draymond Green has fouled out of the game with 3:01 remaining. 11:35 p.m.: The Warriors closed things out with ease in the fourth quarter as the Celtics couldn't generate any offense when it mattered most.

Paris Alston: This is GBH's Morning Edition. Well, the Celtics and Warriors are tied up in the NBA finals at two games apiece. It makes for a good series, but ...

So if they can pull off one more win on the road — and they'll have to pull off one more win to win the series — they'll do fine. So following that pattern, that would mean the Celtics would win. So I think if the Celtics can figure out what they're going to do to score on the offensive side of the ball, they'll be fine. And I'm confident, like I've been in the playoffs, confident in the fact that we'll respond and play better, you know, for majority of the game. I mean, like you said, we have been here before and they usually end up going to Game 7 and pulling it off. Siegel: So last time that the Cs did have a win, I was decked out in Cs gear in our studio. What did the Cs need to do to get the W tonight? But that's just the nature of the finals. Alston: Esteban, I watched the game Friday and I was just so stressed out in those last five minutes. The good news at this point is the Cs have not had a back-to-back loss in the playoffs. It's a little disappointing that the Celtics gave away the advantage while they were here. As the team heads back to San Francisco for Game 5 tonight, we'll take a minute to check in with GBH's Esteban Bustillos, who's been following the Cs throughout all of the playoffs.

Get a recap of the Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors basketball game.

Celtics: Robert Williams III had 10 points and eight rebounds, starting and playing without limits for the Celtics after aggravating his surgically repaired left knee in Game 4. ... Otto Porter Jr. started for a second straight game with Kevon Looney coming off the bench. “And then the fact that it’s 25 years ago just makes me feel old, of course.” Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost consecutive games for the first time in the postseason. Al Horford hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6:28 left in the period that made it 58-55 as the Celtics finally found their shooting groove from deep. Golden State wound up 9 of 40 from beyond the arc — Wiggins 0 of 6. The drive and kick was beautiful, was working, getting guys wide-open shots,” coach Ime Udoka said. The Celtics were sloppy in stretches, committing 18 turnovers. The Celtics found their own third-quarter magic that has long defined Golden State's success in the second half. “... The bigger the challenge has been that we’ve thrown in front of him, the bigger he’s responded. If the Celtics can win at home, the series will return to the Bay Area for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday. All five games so far have been decided by 10 or more points. One game after his 43-point performance, Curry contributed 16 points and eight assists but was 0 for 9 from 3-point range.

The Celtics committed 18 turnovers in Game 5 and made just four shots in the fourth quarter. Read more on Boston.com.

Poole made a basket at the other end and Boston’s five-point from the third quarter turned into an 85-74 deficit. Udoka, who got a technical early, got heated with official Tony Brothers during a timeout and it just built from there. The drive and kick was beautiful, was working, getting guys wide-open shots. That’s the part where we got to have carryover not only game to game but quarter to quarter, where we saw it happened in the third but not the fourth.” Definitely now, our backs are against the wall, and we have to see what we’re made of.” Then they couldn’t miss and turned the game around.

Ime Udoka addressed that by bringing Tatum, Robert Williams, and Payton Pritchard into the game about two minutes later. Stephen Curry challenged the Timelord ...

The Warriors were the better team for three of four quarters. The Celtics won the third quarter 35-24, but losing the lead on a buzzer beater stings. Poole made the free throw, extending the Warriors' lead to 83-74. Even though they got outscored 35-24 in the third frame, Poole's buzzer beater got them the lead back, a deflating blow Boston didn't counter. With a Thompson floater coming nearly a minute before it, that trimmed the deficit to 53-52. Then came a Tatum three at the left wing that made it 51-46. That included after picking off a pass from Green and drawing the third foul on Thompson. Of course, they also need to take care of the ball. He followed that up with his first trip to the free-throw line, but he went 0/2, preserving a 41-32 score. Green went 2/2 at the line, putting the Warriors ahead 32-18. Conversely, Golden State is 8/10. The attempt Horford made trimmed the gap to 45-36. There was contact with the body, but with Williams adhering to the rule of verticality, no foul got called.

Golden State moved one win away from its fourth championship in eight years after beating Boston 104-94 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals for a 3-2 lead.

Boston shot just 20-for-43 inside the arc, and Golden State made 32-for-48 and outscored the Celtics 50-36 on points in the paint. In the opening seven minutes of Game 5, Jayson Tatum didn’t attempt one shot. "That's the thing we're not having throughout a full game, is consistent efforts, sustained effort, more so offensively than anything," Boston coach Ime Udoka said. And the Boston Celtics started to take control and looked like they might put themselves in position to win another road game in the playoffs. In the fourth quarter, he had 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting, including an emphatic one-handed dunk with 2:10 left, giving Golden State a 99-84 lead. One Warrior who did have his 3-point shot working: Klay Thompson, who had 21 points and made 5-for-11 3s. Boston finished the half 3-for-15 on 3s, which oddly was better than Golden State’s 3-for-17. Boston also missed 10 free throws, and Golden State's bench outscored Boston's 31-10. "He's just using his athleticism in a lot of different ways," Kerr said. It would be their seventh overall — third most for a franchise behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Celtics, each with 17. Curry didn’t have his shot going on Monday, missing all nine of his 3-point attempts. "We have two cracks at getting one win, but we also know how difficult it's going to be," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Golden State dominated early and overcame a quiet night from Stephen Curry to move within a win of another championship.

Buckner: The Celtics should be on their way to the title. That’s the part where we’ve got to have carry-over, not only game to game but quarter to quarter.” Yet the Celtics also found themselves in uncharted waters as they fell to 7-1 in these playoffs after a loss. In the decisive sequence, Wiggins scored 10 fourth-quarter points and threw down a thunderous dunk that proved to be the dagger. Later, Draymond Green and Tatum engaged in a jostling match in front of the Celtics bench. At several moments in the fourth, the Celtics appeared to crack under the pressure. Boston committed 18 turnovers and fell to 0-7 in this postseason when it turns the ball over at least 16 times. Boston did its best to make up for its slow start by briefly grasping control in the third quarter. With the victory, Golden State moved to the cusp of its fourth title in the past eight seasons. Golden State reclaimed the lead by the end of the third period and pushed ahead to start the fourth. It was a great effort, but we’ve got to rev it back up and do it again.” But we’ve got a lot of talent and depth to make up for that.

The Boston Celtics have finalized their injury report for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors.

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? The Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ended their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. On Monday night, the Boston Celtics are in California to take on the Golden State Warriors for Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center. The series is currently tied up at 2-2 after the Warriors won Game 4 on Friday night at the TD Garden.

The Celtics' star players didn't have enough in them after a 16-point comeback in Game 5, going down 3-2 in the NBA Finals. Read more on Boston.com.

On a night when the starters struggled to both shoot and hang on to the ball for lengthy stretches, the Celtics were remarkably close heading into the fourth quarter. The Celtics had plenty of other issues, but missing free throws is an easy way to put yourself in a hole and deflate your offense. The Celtics roared back from a 16-point deficit and took the lead in the third quarter. In Monday’s Game 5, the Warriors hit the Celtics with a haymaker. While multiple calls appeared to go against the Celtics, Udoka preached calm (even though he picked up a technical). They have been the better team every series — including this one — when they don’t turn the ball over, and they finished with 18 on Monday. Go down the other way.” An exhausted Jayson Tatum flung up airballs in the fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins, however, has been perhaps the Warriors’ second-best player. For the first time in the playoffs, an opponent landed back-to-back hits against the Celtics — they were 7-0 after a loss prior. Jaylen Brown looked bottled up at the worst possible time. And still, the Warriors won by double digits, once again sending both teams’ starters to the bench in the closing minutes.

Andrew Wiggins delivered with 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 104-94 for a 3-2 NBA Finals lead.

Golden State wound up nine for 40 from beyond the arc — Wiggins 0 for 6. The drive and kick was beautiful, was working, getting guys wide-open shots,” coach Ime Udoka said. Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost consecutive games for the first time this postseason. The Celtics found their own third-quarter magic that has long defined Golden State’s success in the second half. “The bigger the challenge has been that we’ve thrown in front of him, the bigger he’s responded. One game after his 43-point performance, Curry contributed 16 points and eight assists but was 0 for 9 from three-point range.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Andrew Wiggins delivered the biggest game yet in his eight-year career with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 21 points ...

Celtics: Robert Williams III had 10 points and eight rebounds, starting and playing without limits for the Celtics after aggravating his surgically repaired left knee in Game 4. … Otto Porter Jr. started for a second straight game with Kevon Looney coming off the bench. Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost consecutive games for the first time in the postseason. The Celtics found their own third-quarter magic that has long defined Golden State’s success in the second half. “And then the fact that it’s 25 years ago just makes me feel old, of course.” If the Celtics can win at home, the series will return to the Bay Area for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday. All five games so far have been decided by 10 or more points.

The Boston Celtics couldn't make a 3-pointer to start the game and found themselves in a deep hole.

Poole made a basket at the other end and Boston’s five-point from the third quarter turned into an 85-74 deficit. That’s the part where we got to have carryover not only game to game but quarter to quarter, where we saw it happened in the third but not the fourth.” Udoka, who got a technical early, got heated with official Tony Brothers during a timeout and it just built from there. Definitely now, our backs are against the wall, and we have to see what we’re made of.” The drive and kick was beautiful, was working, getting guys wide-open shots. Then they couldn’t miss and turned the game around.

Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics with 27 points and ten rebounds, tied Jaylen Brown for a team-high four assists, but had four giveaways, said of Boston's slow ...

Al Horford, who had nine points and nine rebounds in Game 5, voiced: "Our backs are against the wall, and this is the time where we look at each other in the eyes, and we've got to figure it out. "Credit to Golden State; they came out with great energy and made it tough for us. Regarding his team's lack of energy at the start of the most meaningful game in the careers of everyone on the Celtics' roster, Brown, who registered 18 points, nine boards, and four assists, but led all participants with five turnovers, responded: "I don't know how to answer that question.

In the Celtics' 107-97 loss to the Warriors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, they committed 18 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Golden State.

"As you saw in the third quarter, any time we don't get stagnant and go one-against-the-crowd, it can look pretty easy and (we) get the shots we want. "When we're at our best, (it's with) simple ball movement; I think that third quarter showed that, the drive-and-kick was beautiful; it was working, getting guys wide-open shots. Too often, the Celtics slow the pace of play, forcing them to operate against a set defense.

For the second straight game, the Celtics have unraveled in the fourth quarter against the Warriors.

The Celtics weren’t done surging, as they made their first five 3-pointers of the third to take a lead as big as five points. To come back, they blitzed the Warriors at the beginning of the third, erasing all but two points of a 51-39 deficit over the first 1:45 of the period. “So, you know, I feel like that’s part of the reason why our offense hasn’t been clicking like it needs to be.” That’s the part where we got to have carryover, not only game to game but quarter to quarter, where we saw it happened in the third but not the fourth.” After all of that, Horford approached Smart in an attempt to calm him down, knowing the Celtics had lost their cool. It’s something that we have to move on from and be better on Thursday.” It would have taken a fantastic read for White to recognize that Looney’s late closeout left Horford with a lane to the hoop. As much as the Celtics have improved since the middle of the regular season, they still occasionally find themselves back in the same old ditch. We just got to continue to recognize the game, see the game and make in-game adjustments. Take care of the ball when it comes down to it.” With Curry on the bench getting his usual breather to start the final quarter, Boston had an urgency to capitalize on his absence. The Celtics scored just five points over the first eight minutes of the quarter, unable to solve a great Warriors defense when it mattered most.

The Celtics once again find themselves on the brink entering Thursday's Game 6 after falling apart in the fourth quarter Monday night against the Warriors.

I still feel like we have so much better basketball to play that we haven't played in the last two games. A 35-point third quarter when we're moving the ball, getting into the lane, penetrating, kick, getting the wide-open shots we want, we have to have that carry over into the fourth. "We ain't got to win two in one day. Got to win on Thursday. That's all we got to worry about right now." And, while Golden State again deserves credit for how the Celtics fell apart, it also was the latest reminder -- even within a game -- of how wildly this Boston team swings back and forth. "We felt like we had opportunities, kind of started playing like we were playing earlier in the game. This is the time that we look at each other in the eyes and we got to figure it out. We just got to continue to recognize the game, see the game and make in-game adjustments. It was also another game in which both Brown and Tatum got outplayed by a Warrior. Brown was misfiring all night, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists but going 5-for-18 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. "Fatigue could've played a part in that, whether it's physical or some of the decision-making, turnovers there. It appeared there might be a tomorrow, somehow, for Boston after Game 5 -- despite how terribly the Celtics began the game. "Obviously we're a little discouraged after having such a good third to come out in the fourth and not execute like we needed to," Al Horford said.

The offensive execution 'simply wasn't there' for Boston in Game 5. • Complete coverage: 2022 NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors are one win away from their ...

Player shooting Player shooting Player stats Player stats But the offense disappeared in the fourth, when the Celtics failed to score on their first seven possessions as a one-point deficit ballooned to 11. One loss from seeing their season end in disappointment, they’ll have to find some more offense in Game 6. Whether or not they’ve gotten a big game from Curry, the Warriors’ offense has been pretty consistent in this series, scoring between 106 and 115 points per 100 possessions in all five games. After missing their first 12 3-point attempts of the game, the Celtics made eight straight spanning the second and third periods. Not only was Stephen Curry off the floor for most of that 13-0 run, but he failed to make a 3-pointer for the first time in 133 career playoff games. In Games 1 and 3, Boston scored 129 and 122 points per 100 possessions, respectively. And the Warriors won by double-digits anyway, getting a huge game from Andrew Wiggins (26 points, 13 rebounds and some terrific defense). The Golden State Warriors are one win away from their fourth championship in eight years.

By Taylor Snow | @taylorcsnow. Celtics.com. June 14, 2022. Presented by Socios.com. The Boston Celtics have been here before: down 3-2 in a best-of-seven ...

“Our message is to take it one at a time,” said the first-year head coach. Although they must win two games to be crowned champions, Udoka says that Game 6 is the only one they should be focused on right now. Got the most confidence in everybody in that locker room … We have to look each other in the eye now, our backs are up against the wall.” The Celtics put themselves in a difficult situation by not completing the comeback attempt. The Celtics gave themselves a chance to win Game 5 after overcoming a double-digit halftime deficit and taking a lead during an explosive third quarter in which they scored 35 points. “For us, it's really about consistency,” said Udoka. “That's the thing we're not having throughout a full game, is consistent efforts, sustained effort, more so offensively than anything.

When the Boston Celtics look back on Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the team will not be happy with its fourth-quarter performance.

Now on the brink of elimination, the Celtics will head home for Thursday's Game 6, desperate for a shift in momentum. The Celtics give up a quick 7-0 run to start the fourth. The Celtics had used an impressive third-quarter run to overcome a 12-point halftime deficit, only to squander it with just 20 points in the fourth quarter.