BOSTON — The Boston Celtics knocked off their longtime rival in five games with a short-handed 118-84 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
In capturing the series, Boston avenged its 2023 conference finals loss to No. 8 Miami.
“That's how it should be — learning from our mistakes and things we could have done better and take that into next season because we're trying to get a different result this year,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. , said the win was essential to Boston's maturation as a team.
This first-round matchup ended much the way it started, with Boston tied early on from deep while the Heat struggled from the outside. The Celtics drilled 16 3-pointers and made 40% of their attempts, while Miami was 3-of-29 in 3-point territory.
Even after the Heat broke the shooting record in Game 2, the series was truly beyond doubt. Erik Spoelstra's club realized it needed to make more 3s to stay competitive, hitting 23 of its 43 triples in the contest. tying the series at 1-1 in a 111-101 upset of Boston and its fans.
But those 23 in Game 2, a franchise playoff record, were more than the 21 Miami scored in the final three games of the series. In fact, the Celtics trailed a total of 56 seconds during their four wins in the series.
Also missing are starters Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck). Freshman starter Jaime Jacques Jr. (hip flexor) also missed 5. Miami has finished with fewer than 90 points in each of its last three games.
Bam Adebayo paced the Heat with 23 points and six assists in Game 5.
Boston, on the other hand, was locked in its first game this postseason without Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a right calf strain that will keep him out for at least next week.
Guard Derrick White performed again on Wednesday, scoring 25 points over two nights and scoring a game-best 38 in Miami. His 13 3-pointers over the last two games were the most by a Celtics player in a two-game postseason. span according to ESPN Stats and Info.
White's appearance illustrates that Jaylen Brown thinks it's too simplistic to suggest that Brown and Tatum should be more aggressive with Porzingis out.
“I think we just have to continue to play our game like we've been doing our whole career and continue to trust our teammates and continue to grow,” Brown said. “I think if we're going to win, we're going to win as a team.”
Boston now awaits its second round opponent. The fourth-seeded Cavs lead the fifth-seeded Magic 3-2 in Game 6 in Orlando on Friday.
