Miami Heat: 5 takeaways from Game 5 loss to the Boston Celtics
The Miami Heat dropped Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Boston Celtics. A look at five takeaways from Friday’s matchup.
It’s been a relatively smooth postseason for the Miami Heat, but as they learned in Game 5 on Friday night, nothing is guaranteed no matter how hot you’re playing. They dropped the most recent matchup with the Boston Celtics after pulling to a three to one series lead.
Instead of having days off ahead of their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014, the Heat are now going to face off with a playoff opponent riding momentum on Sunday night in Game 6.
A poor shooting performance paired with an aggressive Celtics effort lead to Miami’s doom on Friday. After taking a seven-point lead by halftime, the Heat gave up a 70-point second half.
Boston’s two All-Star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 59 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists in the Heat routing. But it was Daniel Theis who pushed them atop Miami. The Celtics’ starting center finished with 15 points,13 rebounds, and three blocks on the night.
Miami’s players didn’t necessarily struggle–the entire starting five scored in double digits. Goran Dragic lead the way with 23 points, with Duncan Robinson following him up with 20 points, and Jimy Butler and Bam Adebayo combining for 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists.
A look at five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s Game 5 loss on Friday night.