14:49 ET
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Tim BontempsESPN
Miami – In three of the first four games of the Eastern Conference finals, the leading team at the end of the first quarter took the lead each time.
So as the Boston Celtics prepare to face the Miami Heat in Game 5 here at the FTX Arena on Wednesday night, with the series tangled in two games, the Celtics are aware that they need to focus on a strong start to this game. to come out with a desperately needed victory on the road.
“Whatever happens in the last game is the last game, whether we win 25 or 2,” Celtics star Jason Tatum said after the Boston shootout on Wednesday morning. “They all count for one [win]. So we shouldn’t feel better about ourselves because we blew them away [in Game 4].
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“And I don’t think we should relax. We have to look at this as a new series and tonight is a game you have to win. And I think when you approach something like a mandatory win and you have more of a sense of urgency, especially for starters, I think that’s the way we should approach tonight, and that’s in the first five, six minutes of the game. “
For the last two rounds, dating from the beginning of the semifinals of the Eastern Conference against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics are already 5-0, when they lost the previous game. But, coming out victorious, Boston is grim 1-4, with their only victory coming home in Game 7 against Milwaukee.
If Boston gets out of this series and reaches the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, that will have to change – and the Celtics will have to win another game here in Miami after winning Game 2 here last week.
In addition to starting the game well, the other obvious difference in any game is Boston’s ability – or lack thereof – to take care of the ball. In the two victories of the Celtics, they allowed only a few rolls. With the two losses from the Celtics, they threw the ball around the room, allowing Heath to get one easy basket to go after another.
“I think we’re confident,” said guard Peyton Pritchard. “We know what we have to do, take care of the ball, set the tone in defense, but we were in that situation in the last series.”
“It just starts with the jump … it starts with our intensity. Every time we come out of a loss, we play as if our backs are against the wall. We have to use this mentality in every game and obviously just take care of the ball. In the matches we lost, we had 39 turns. The games we won had 18 turnovers, so that’s a big difference. “
Boston is also waiting to see if both guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams III can play, as both are listed as suspicious for a second straight game. Smart is still struggling with a sprained right ankle that pulled him out of Match 4, and Celtics coach Ime Udoka said there was still “pain, swelling and inflammation” in his ankle before Match 5 and that he would receive treatment again throughout match day leading to a signal before deciding on his status.
Williams, meanwhile, is also dealing with constant pain, but his left knee causes have caused him various problems in the last two months. Williams underwent surgery on his meniscus at the end of the regular season, causing him to miss most of the series in the first round of Boston against Brooklyn, before Williams missed three games in the Milwaukee series due to pain from a bruised bone.
He also suffered a loss to Boston in Game 3 with pain in that knee before returning to Game 4 – although he seemed to be limping at times in the third quarter.
Like Smart, Udoka said Williams will receive treatment throughout the day before his status can be determined.
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