The Boston Celtics have kept their hopes of back-to-back NBA Finals appearances alive with a 110-97 victory in Game 5 against the Miami Heat. The Celtics played with a “win or die” mentality, according to head coach Joe Mazzulla, and the team’s performance reflected that, with this win, the Celtics have seemingly turned the series around.
Trailing 3-0, it seemed like an impossible task for Boston to bounce back, but the past two games have shown that unless Miami finds some rhythm, the Heat could end up on the wrong end of history.
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra gave an honest assessment of things after the loss, adding: “No, no excuses. You are welcome. The Celtics outplayed us tonight.” The series now returns to Miami on Saturday with both teams knowing it’s a must-win game. Another Celtics victory would send the series back to Boston for Game 7 and the Heat will do everything they can to prevent that from happening.
