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The Boston Celtics, who'd become underdogs in most analysts' eyes after their consecutive losses at Cleveland, came out with strength, passion and energy and chalked up a 96-83 win at the TD Garden in Game 5. This gives them a 3-2 lead and two shots at making the Finals by eliminating the veteran Cleveland Cavaliers.
While this was a rough shooting night for nearly every player on their squad, the Celtics dialled up the heat on the other side of the ball, holding the Cavs to 19 points in the first quarter, 23 in the second, 18 in the third and 23 in the fourth quarter. Everyone on their roster gave championship level effort, and they were particularly adept at forcing turnovers.
LeBron James, who had 8 turnovers in 4 games against the Toronto Raptors, coughed up the ball 6 times in this outing alone - he had more turnovers than assists for the second successive game this series! The fact that the Celtics were able to shut everyone else on the Cavs' roster down while limiting the damage he did is commendable.
Let's take a look at how each Celtics player fared during the game individually.
Terry Rozier - 6.5/10
Stat line: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3-of-15 from the field, 1-of-7 on threes
Until the start of this series, Rozier had been a true threat from downtown, making 3-pointers at well above league-average shooting. However, he's been unable to turn it on in this series. Much of this can be attributed to his poor shot selection, and he continued to brick some poorly thought-out shots that must definitely have caused some consternation to coach Brad Stevens on the sideline.
But the rest of his game enables him to log an average outing in Game 5. He moved the ball around intelligently. He tallied 6 assists while taking excellent care of the ball (he only had 1 turnover through the game). He hustled for rebounds and, for once, did not get killed while defending LeBron on switches.
Rozier also had 3 steals, and a positive +/- that dipped in garbage time indicates that he was, for the most part, a positive contributor to the Celtics' effort.
Jaylen Brown - 7/10
Stat line: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 4-of-15 from the field, 2-of-8 on threes
The second-year stud has been a revelation in these playoffs, so while 17 points might be a good tally for an inferior player, Brown has shown to us that he can consistently shoot better than the 26.6% he shot from the field in this game.
He missed a couple of open looks from deep and a couple of easy layups, while also displaying some over-enthusiasm on fast breaks. For the rest of his display, however, he was his cool, calm self and he was able to guard LeBron without giving up too many points.
Brown can only get better at this stage, with his athleticism, basketball IQ and hustle mentality already making him an above-average player.
Jayson Tatum - 9/10
Stat line: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 7-of-15 from the field
Tatum has been the best rookie in the playoffs so far, and he cemented this status with another memorable performance to give Boston the series lead after they went down in successive games at the Quicken Loans Arena.
The rookie started off proceedings with a Nowitzki-like fadeaway jumper, and his 9-point tally in the first quarter was a large part of why the Celtics held a 13-point lead at the end of the period. Tatum could have done even better at finishing around the rim, however, and that is why we give him a rating of 9 for this game.
It goes without saying that he played stellar defense, as is reflected in his box score stats of 4 steals and 2 blocks. Tatum is a complete player, and once he fills out his frame, he will be a perennial All-Star in this league.
Al Horford - 9/10
Stat line: 15 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4-of-9 from the field, 1-of-2 on threes
Horford has been the bedrock for Boston in this fairytale playoff run that they've put together so far. He started at the power forward slot for the first time in this series, and he outrebounded and outplayed Kevin Love through the course of the game.
Horford did not take ill-advised shots in this game as he was doing in the previous outing. He guarded Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson in the post as well as any other player in the league, and his decision-making did not falter all night.
Horford has the chance to turn the tables on LeBron for the first time in his career, and he looks primed to grab it with both hands if he continues to play as he did tonight in Game 6.
Aron Baynes - 8/10
Stat line: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3-of-7 from the field
Slotted into the starting lineup to deal with Tristan Thompson's presence on the glass and inside the paint, Baynes played a crucial role in Boston's win today. While his impact does not show up in the box scores, he was a big part of why LeBron was unable to get into the paint and score as and when he wanted.
He also defended TT extremely well, holding the undersized forward-center to just 1 point on 0-of-3 shooting while tallying more rebounds than him. Baynes has added the 3-point shot to his arsenal over this season, but he did not get a chance to display that on the night with only one shot attempt from downtown which he missed.
It remains to be seen whether Brad Stevens starts him in Game 6, but Baynes has proved time and again that he is capable of anchoring the Boston defense whenever required of him. This game was another exhibit that added to this notion.
Marcus Morris - 7.5/10
Stat line: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 5-of-13 from the field, 3-of-6 on threes
Mook came off the bench for the first time this series, and he was an important factor in Boston's victory as he played 37 minutes. Majorly guarding LeBron James on the defensive end, he was also quick to get back in transition, and he also defended the likes of Kevin Love and Kyle Korver quite effctively. LeBron got his share of points on Morris, but he had to earn some of them from the free throw line as Morris refused to make it easy for him.
The younger Morris twin started off hot from the field, knocking down his first three 3-pointers of the game and enabling Boston not only to take a first-quarter lead, but to restore it in the 2nd quarter after Cleveland cut the lead early in the period.
Morris hoisted some ill-advised mid-range jumpers on isolation, however, and he would do well to pick his spots and shoot in the right situation.
Marcus Smart - 9/10
Stat line: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 5-of-9 from the field, 3-of-6 on threes
The 4th-year combo guard has been Boston's biggest hustler ever since he got drafted in 2014. Quite often, he doesn't score a bunch of points - but his impact is felt all around the court if not on the box score.
Smart came out in the first quarter looking to attack the rim. When he couldn't do that, he started splashing threes at a rate we haven't seen him do in this playoff run. Much of his struggles at shooting the ball can be attributed to rust, but he is a career 28% 3-point shooter who shot 50% tonight, so it does raise eyebrows to the observant fan that he was allowed so many open looks.
Smart hustled, guarding a number of different players through the course of his 23 minutes in the game. He displayed championship-level effort every single second that he was on the hardwood, and he deserves some kudos for a sumptuous performance tonight.
