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The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat, 110-97, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals to force a Game 6. When the Celtics lost the first three games of the series to go down 3-0, it looked over for them. With their backs against the wall, the No. 2 seed finally played up to their level to win the last two games.
Four of the Celtics starters scored over 20 points in Game 5 in a blowout win. With the series heading back to Miami for Game 6, the Heat will certainly feel the pressure. If the Celtics win Game 6, then the Heat will face a daunting task of having to win a Game 7 on the road.
In NBA history, there have been 150 seven-game series in which one team has won the first three games. Not once has the team facing a 0-3 deficit managed to claw their way back and win the series. If the Celtics manage to accomplish it, they will be the first team to do so. Out of every team that has ever gone down 0-3 in an NBA playoff series, this Boston Celtics team might be the best placed to stage a comeback.
Here are three reasons why the Boston Celtics have a good chance to comeback in this series:
#1. Three point shooting
The Boston Celtics rely heavily on their three-point shooting. In the 2022-23 regular season, only the Golden State Warriors made more threes than the Celtics. All of their starters are capable of making threes. As the old adage goes, "Live by the three, die by the three". The Celtics being streaky from the three-point range is what put them in a 0-3 hole in the first place.
The Celtics made just over 29% of their threes in the first three games. Since then, they have shot over 40% from beyond the arc in Game 4 and Game 5. The Celtics have never lost a game in the NBA playoffs when they are shooting over 40% from three-point range. If their threes continue to fall, the Heat will struggle to stop them.
#2. Injuries
The Miami Heat were already missing two of their key rotation players in Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo. Herro was the thirrd highest scorer for the Heat in the regular season. Both Herro and Oladipo suffered injuries during the Miami Heat's first round matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat have done an admirable job to get so far in the playoffs while missing two key players. This was mainly thanks to their coach Eric Spoelstra figuring out how to fill the lost minutes. One of the players who stepped up when their name was called was Gabe Vincent.
Vincent, who averaged 9 points per game (PPG) in the regular season, stepped up when he was asked to do so in the playoffs. Averaging just over 13 PPG in the playoffs, he has been the third-highest scorer for the Miami Heat. However, he missed Game 5 due to an ankle injury.
This might be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Spoelstra struggled to fill Vincent's minutes in Game 5. He had to rely on Haywood Highsmith, who had not been part of their main playoff rotation until that game. Highsmith had a decent outing on the offensive end. However, the change to their line-up saw the Heat struggling to cope with the Celtics' constant offensive pressure. If Vincent is out for Game 6, then it will be the Celtics' game to lose.
#3. Playoff Experience
The Boston Celtics starters have a wealth of playoff experience among them. Leading the pack is Al Horford, with 165 playoff games. To give you an idea of how many that is, he is now tied with Bill Russell. He has played in more playoff games than Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Chris Paul.
Following Horford are Marcus Smart with 106 games, Jaylen Brown with 103, and Jayson Tatum with 92. Despite being relatively young, Brown and Tatum have both managed to play in a sizeable number of playoff games.
On the other hand, the only Heat players who have played in over 80 games are Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, the latter being well removed from his prime. Will the inexperienced Heat lineup be able to handle the pressure? Only time will tell. If history is any indicator, then the Celtics have as good of a shot as any team that has been down 0-3 to go on to win the series.
Guess the Lakers players!
