TheMiami HeatandBoston Celticshave been giving it their all over the last few games. Both teams have had a fairly successful run this far, but the series has now reached a do-or-die situation for the Celtics. Being down two games against the Heat, they have very limited options left to execute a comeback. This situation has seen success very rarely, however, the Celtics are still good enough to pull it off.
During the last game, the Boston Celtics fought to keep their post-season run alive and won Game 4 on the Miami Heat s home turf.Jayson Tatumis the only one who consistently maintains offensive firepower except during Game 3 when he scored 14 points. Jaylen Brown and the rest of the squad have been trying their best to mitigate the damage Miami s offense caused them during the first three games.
The Celtic s defense certainly worked wonders as the Heat only averaged 25% from three in Game 4.Jimmy Butlerscored 29 points and helped the Heat balance out a good lead during the first half. Miami also had 15 turnovers which they will have to keep track of in the future. All Celtics starters scored double digits while the Heat were struggling to get shots in. Moving into Game 5, here are the expected starting lineups for the day.
Miami Heat Expected Lineup
Gabe VincentMax StrusJimmy ButlerKevin LoveBam Adebayo
Boston Celtics Expected Lineup
Marcus SmartJaylen BrownJayson TatumAl HorfordRobert Williams III
Will the Miami Heat close out the series against the Boston Celtics in Game 5?
If there was one thing that the Miami Heat lacked is enough scoring options. Butler has beenaveraging29.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game during the playoffs, but besides him, the Heat has no reliable scoring option. Tyler Herro will remain out until the NBA Finals but he would have otherwise filled that void. But Miami s defense worked wonders so far taking away three games from the Celtics at the get-go.
Let s keep this thing going pic.twitter.com/ehh9ZJQ323
Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 24, 2023
For the Celtics, their shooting consistency remains a key aspect to pay attention to. In games where they have shot below 35% from three, they have lost. However, they have found more success while shooting 40% and above from deep much like Game 4. With the series already nearing its end and the Heat needing one more game, we more or less have our finals matchup. The Celtics could make one final push but the odds are stacked against them this time.
