Just a few days ago, a trip to the NBA Finals looked like a certainty for the Miami Heat. But now, there is some reasonable doubt they will end up getting there.
They lost Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Boston Celtics, 110-97, and it wasn’t as close as the score may suggest. As he did previously, Celtics star Jaylen Brown warned Miami about letting his team claw its way back into the series.
Jaylen Brown postgame:
"They let us get two, so don't let us get another one" 👀 pic.twitter.com/s4dxk8HWHb
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) May 26, 2023
Miami previously failed to put the Celtics away on Tuesday when it lost Game 4 by 17 points. Now, the complexion of the series has changed from the Heat being overwhelming favorites to the pressure shifting back onto their shoulders.
They took each of the first three games, which included a 128-102 blowout in Game 3, and it looked like the Celtics simply didn’t have any fight. After that game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla even admitted that he had lost the locker room, which is something no coach would be caught dead admitting in public.
On Thursday, they had four players score over 20 points apiece while shooting 50.6 percent from the field. All of a sudden, the Heat had trouble scoring, as they committed 16 turnovers and were held under 100 points for the second straight game.
It’s almost shades of last season’s East Finals when they didn’t reach the century mark in three of the final four games of the series and were held to the low 80s twice.
One problem for them is the absence of guard Tyler Herro, who is their only other legitimate shot-creator off the dribble other than Jimmy Butler. Herro has been out since the first round of the playoffs with a hand injury, and although he has progressed, it is reportedly unlikely he will return to game action anytime soon.
If Miami doesn’t take care of business at home in Game 6, it could end up being the underdog in Game 7, which would take place back in Boston.
