“Don’t let us Get One.” It was the phrase that Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown told the press before Game 4, and facing a sweep in Miami. Smart credited the phrase to Kevin Millar of the Boston Red Sox, who said it prior to Game 4 of the Historic comeback in 2004 against the New York Yankees. It seemed like the Heat headed the warning because they led Game 4 61-52 in the third quarter. However, the team from Beantown showed resolve and proceeded to go on an 18-0 run to put them in full control of the game. In that third and fourth quarter, fans finally saw the Celtics team play defense, make shots and enjoy team basketball. It felt like a light bulb went off on this team, and in the words of Jaylen Brown, “the energy had shifted.” The Celtics followed it up with a wire-to-wire 110-95 victory at home to cut the series deficit to 3-2. By forcing a Game 6, the Celtics became the tenth out of 150 teams to face a 0-3 deficit to push the series past 5 Games. With Game 6 in Miami, the Heat will be desperate to end it on Saturday night, and a showdown awaits on South Beach. In this article, we discuss three nuggets as we preview this high-stakes matchup.
1. Tatum vs Butler battle- in big playoff games, the deciding factors are the superstar players, and I expect Game 6 in Miami to be no different. The Miami Heat are in a position to make the NBA Finals based on the outstanding play of Jimmy Butler. The Marquette product has been a superb scorer, leader and embodies the culture of the franchise. The Celtics have been able to intensify their defense against Jimmy by being more physical and it showed in him tallying only 14 points in Game 5. The Celtics can expect Jimmy’s best punch in Game 6, and Jayson Tatum must offset his production. Tatum was brilliant in Game 4 by scoring 33 points, on an efficient 14 of 22 from the field with 11 rebounds and seven assists in a complete performance. In Game 5, he showcased his ability to set up his teammates with a crafty 11 assists to put with his 21 points and eight rebounds. Tatum didn’t need to score because the team had three other players that scored over 20 points with Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Derrick White passing the mark. However, going back on the road will mean Tatum has to be aggressive, and it will likely take a 40–50-point performance to pull off the win.
2. Will Gabe Vincent or Malcolm Brogdon play?-these two players have been integral to the performance of their teams despite playing different roles. However, the absence of Gabe Vincent is a bigger deal for the Heat because he was their starting point guard. In his absence, Erik Spoelstra had to lean on veteran Kyle Lowry who scored only 5 points in Game 5. Vincent has averaged 15 points per game in this series prior to his injury and scored a playoff-high 29 points in Game 3. If Vincent misses Game 6 due to his ankle injury, then the Heat will find it difficult to make up the difference in his contribution. Brogdon left Game 5 with what the team called forearm soreness after reportedly suffering from a partially torn tendon in his shooting elbow from Game 1 of this series. Brogdon’s struggle in this series is understandable, and it will be interesting to see if he can shake off the injury to feature in the critical Game 6. The player that suits up and plays may be able to inspire their team to get over the line.
3. Defense and Three Point Shooting-the turning point in this series is the Celtics’ defensive intensity in Games 1-3 compared to Games 4 and 5. In Game 1, the Celtics allowed 123 points, 54.1% field goal percentage from the field, and 51.6% from three-point range. However, it got worse in Game 3 when the team allowed 128 points, shooting 56.8% from the field and 54.3% from three-point range. In Games 4 and 5, the Celtics held the Heat under 100 points while shooting 43.6 from the field and 25% from three-point range in Game 4 alone. The defense had led to more turnovers and transition buckets for the Celtics. The Celtics’ second most important key to victory is their three-point shooting. It is no surprise that the series has turned around after the Celtics started to make three-pointers with 40% from distance in back-to-back games. It is not just about the percentage of three-pointers, but the volume because they have attempted 85 shots while making 39 of them. These two components are a deadly combination that will make the Celtics tough to beat if they executive in Miami.