BOSTON (AP) — It remains to be seen if the Celtics are going to redeem themselves in these playoffs. For now, a good first step has been the revenge against Miami.
A year ago, the Heat humiliated Boston by eliminating them in a Game 7 at TD Garden. This time, the Celtics returned the favor.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White each scored 25 points and the Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals by crushing a depleted Heat 118-84 on Wednesday in Game 5 of the first round.
Boston will now face the winner of the series between the Magic and Cleveland. The Cavs have a 3-2 lead, with Game 6 taking place Friday in Orlando.
Brown said the Celtics came into Wednesday’s game with an issue to resolve but no desire for revenge.
“There is a lot of history here, but the rival didn’t matter,” he said. “We just had to get the job done.”
His partner Jayson Tatum agreed.
“I think this is the fourth time I’ve faced them in the playoffs,” he said. “All adversaries are the same… We did the job and accomplished the mission.”
Brown added six assists and White hit five 3-pointers. Sam Hauser had 17 points and Tatum had 16 points and 12 rebounds. The first-seeded Celtics were never behind and led by 37 points.
They also got their revenge — almost a year ago the Heat beat them in Game 7 of the Conference Finals in Boston.
Bam Adebayo scored 23 points and Tyler Herro added 15 for Miami, which was eliminated in the first round of the postseason for the first time since 2021. The Heat struggled throughout the game and only made 3 of 29 three-point attempts.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra felt it was clear from the start that the Celtics were playing with extra energy.
“There was probably something that motivated them more about facing us,” he said.
Boston played its first postseason game without center Kristaps Porzingis after he suffered a right calf strain in the Celtics’ Game 4 win. His teammates filled the gaps and the Celtics led by 30 points in the first half.
Boston took advantage of a badly injured Heat. Mexican Jaime Jaquez Jr. missed the game after suffering a hip injury in the fourth game and joined Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck), who were absent throughout the series.
Source: AP
2024-05-02 10:32:14
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