Celtics Dominate Heat 110-97, Force Game 6

If you’re a Miami Heat fan, it may be time to start worrying.

The Boston Celtics pummeled the Heat 110-97, and now trail Miami 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. They are now the 15th team in NBA history to force a Game 6 after after going down 3-0.

From the opening tip, Boston was in complete control, and never once relinquished the lead. A combination of quick ball movement and active hands on defense created easy offense, leading to the Celtics’ best three point shooting night of the series. They also dominated the offensive glass, outscoring the Heat 13-0 in second chance points.

The Celtics, on both ends of the floor, were led by their starters. As the TNT broadcast brought up, Boston’s starting unit became the first one in NBA Playoff history to record more than 12 steals and 12 threes in a game. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum continued their strong Game 4 play, while Jaylen Brown broke out in a major way, recording 21 points and shooting 3-5 from three.

The Heat have looked so steady and mentally strong all postseason long, but tonight, they killed themselves with self-inflicted wounds. They turned the ball over an astounding 16 times, with Bam Adebayo committing 6 and Kyle Lowry committing 4.

Their two best players also didn’t do nearly enough to carry the scoring load, something they desperately needed with Gabe Vincent out. Adebayo had 16 points, and Jimmy Butler scored 14 on just 10 attempts. Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin, and Haywood Highsmith were Miami’s most consistent offensive players, but couldn’t do enough to cut into Boston’s big second half lead.

It seemed improbable after Game 3, but the Celtics have the Heat on their heels. The 3-0 comeback has never happened before, but if the Celtics are shooting this well and playing this tough on defense, the Heat will really have to dig deep to close them out.

Game 6 is on Saturday at 8:30 PM.