The Miami Heat were unable to pull off a sweep of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, so we head into Game 5 on Thursday night. Thanks to some effective shooting from deep, the Celtics were able to pull away late in Game 4, and they’ll need to replicate that success if they want to extend the streak.
Ahead of the action, here’s everything you need to know for Game 5:
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Miami Heat
- Date: Thursday, May 25 | Time: 8:30 pm ET
- Location: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
- TV Frequency: TNT | Live broadcast: TNT application
- Contradictions: Celtics -8; O/U 215.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Special game | Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat
Plots
Celtics: Boston avoided total embarrassment by winning Game 4, surviving a sweep and staying alive for a few more days. Now they have a chance to extend the streak a bit more, but it’s still an uphill battle for the C’s. With all five starters scoring in double figures, Game 4 was a marked improvement from the blowout they suffered in Game 3, and they’ll need to bottle that performance when the series returns to Boston. Jaylen Brown put together his first solid performance of the series, but he still only finished with 17 points. Boston will need more from him if they want to see Game 6, or the season will be over Thursday night.
Heat: The Heat still hold a major advantage in the series, and after the Nuggets pulled off the sweep against the Lakers, you have to think Miami will be looking to wrap up the series as quickly as possible. But the Celtics showed they’re not going to roll over Tuesday night, so the Heat are hoping they’ll get better scoring performances from Bam Adebayo and Max Struss, who combined for just 19 points. The team struggled to connect in 3s, a surprising turnaround after being red-handed all series.
Prediction
Miami didn’t pull off the sweep, so I’m picking them to pull off a gentleman’s sweep in Game 5. The Celtics bounced back in Game 4, but I expect Butler and the rest of the Miami team to come through. There will be a week off before the start of the series NBA Finals Choice: Heat +8
