Once down 3-0 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics have life after a 110-97 win in Game 5 Thursday, cutting the series deficit to 3-2.
Following the Celtics' win, Jaylen Brown offered the Heat a warning.
"They let us get two, so don't let us get another one," Brown said via TNT.
Almost everyone on the Celtics had a big night in Game 5. Four Celtics finished with 20 points or more, including Derrick White (24), Marcus Smart (23), Jayson Tatum (21) and Brown (21). It's the first time since Game 1 of the 2022 first round that four Celtics finished with 20-plus points in the same game, per Keerthika Uthayakumar of TSN.
The @celtics triumph in the must-win Game 5!
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2023
Jayson Tatum: 21 PTS, 11 AST, 8 REB
Jaylen Brown: 21 PTS, 3 STL
Game 6 ECF: Saturday, 8:30pm/et | TNT pic.twitter.com/ADAqcfaJ8H
The Celtics led nearly the entire way, blowing out the Heat while silencing star Jimmy Butler.
Boston jumped out to an early lead Thursday, which may have stunned Butler into submission. Like most of his teammates, Butler was ice-cold in the first half, shooting 2-of-7 from the field for eight points. While Miami made a late push in the second half, Butler never joined in, finishing with only 14 points on the night.
No team in NBA history has come from down 3-0 to win a playoff series, but the Celtics are halfway there. Boston will look to stave off elimination and force a Game 7 at home with a win in Game 6 Saturday in Miami at 8:30 p.m. ET.
"Only thing that can stop us is us," Brown said. "Just come out and play our game, have fun, and let god do the rest."
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