ATLANTA — The Celtics gained dwelling courtroom benefit for the whole lot of the NBA Playoffs when Jimmy Butler flipped in a last-second lob towards the basket and led the Warmth to a Sport 5 win in extra time. Miami knocked out Milwaukee, 4-1, the Vegas title favourite that charged previous Boston on a 16-game win steak and emerged as its high competitor.
The win marked the Celtics’ fourth main break of the postseason, the primary coming when Atlanta defeated the Warmth within the play-in match. The second occurred when hen Joel Embiid fell with an LCL sprain in spherical one, which put him susceptible to lacking time in a second-round collection in opposition to Boston.
The Hawks helped the Celtics keep away from the uncharacteristically troublesome first-round opponent, Butler enjoying like a league MVP, averaging 37.6 factors, 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals on 59.7% capturing. Giannis Antetokounmpo fell to a again harm, lacking two video games and virtually the whole lot of Sport 1, a development that particularly stared Boston down as it prepared to play a burdensome Game 6 after blowing a late 13-point in a potential closeout Game 5. It served as a warning — anybody can lose in these playoffs.
“I wasn’t too shocked, the Warmth is a harmful crew, everyone knows it,” Marcus Good mentioned this morning in Atlanta. “The Warmth play completely different within the playoffs, they usually play the Bucks very well. I’m not as shocked as most likely others, however I’m shocked that they went down the way in which that they went down. It simply goes to point out you, it’s the playoffs. Something can occur and also you’ve gotta be prepared always.”
Whereas Antetokounmpo’s harm turned the biggest cause the Warmth escaped the collection, and sure a part of why the star contested the notion of a failed season on the podium on Wednesday, he returned to attain 64 factors on 26-of-49 capturing with 30 rebounds and 16 assists. The Warmth navigated main accidents to Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo. The collection, just like the one between the Celtics and Hawks, proved extra intently contested than anticipated.
That’s why Boston’s alternative to shut its opening spherical damage so badly, even with out admission from the Celtics themselves. Good already prevented lacking time with again harm after he fell to the ground late in Sport 3. Dejounte Murray returns on Thursday evening, his suspension for Sport 5 the fourth break on high of the aforementioned ones.
Trae Younger discovered his shot, hitting the primary and remaining Hawks threes of the evening from far behind the three-point line. The Celtics gave Atlanta a reason to believe, and made life tougher on themselves, one thing they now talk about as an virtually unavoidable actuality.
“We undoubtedly performed to not lose as an alternative of to win it,” Good instructed CLNS Media/CelticsBlog. “That occurs. Sadly, it occurred to us and we simply made issues a bit of bit more durable for ourselves, however we received one other nice alternative to be right here. God has blessed us to get up right now and have one other day to return out and attempt to deliver it dwelling tonight.”
The Knicks and Warmth start their second-round collection on Sunday, whereas Philadelphia will obtain 9 days off between rounds one and two after Boston’s Sport 5 loss kicked Sport 1 from Saturday to Monday, Might 1. That might grow to be the distinction between Embiid lacking 1-2 video games, or any time in any respect. If the Celtics play a Sport 7 on Saturday in opposition to the Hawks, they’ll obtain just one off day between collection, a major drawback.
That’s the playoffs, Joe Mazzulla mentioned after Sport 5, taking the same even-keeled approach he did after regular season losing streaks. The Celtics adopted his lead and rapidly regarded ahead to Thursday, an strategy that labored as Boston by no means misplaced greater than three video games in a row on its method to the No. 2 seed.
Any concern about slippages costing them the top seed dissipated and nevertheless incidental, their path to the Finals now appears like the best one looking back with New York, off a five-game beatdown over Cleveland, and Butler’s scorching Warmth on a collision course that would deliver Nineties basketball again.
The Celtics really feel like a lock in opposition to a Philadelphia crew they’ve owned for the reason that Course of period started. However so did the Bucks in opposition to a middling Miami crew that completed twenty sixth in offense.
“It was a 1-8 seed, however … I wouldn’t essentially name it an upset,” Tatum mentioned. “Miami’s a extremely good crew, a extremely nice coach, clearly, they received some nice gamers. They only made performs. I suppose individuals weren’t anticipating them to win, however I wouldn’t name it an upset. They at all times had expertise on their crew, it wasn’t like they have been an untalented crew.”
