Following a resounding Celtics victory in Game 4, 102-82, the Eastern Conference Finals shift back to Miami where the Heat are looking to turn things around Wednesday night. With the series knotted 2-2, Miami and the Celtics have traded haymakers throughout their matchup. In their latest contest the Heat were unable to find any kind of steady footing against the Celtics and trailed the entire game. Led by Jayson Tatum’s 31 points, Boston easily coasted to victory on Monday night and are now in a prime position to blast past Miami on the road.
In this breakdown, SBS will go over what to look for from each squad and who will be able get the leg up in this series in Game 5.
After a disappointing showing in Game 4, the Heat are looking for answers as they return back to South Beach. Miami’s best player, All-Star forward Jimmy Butler, had a disastrous showing on Monday night as he was 3-for-14 from the field and only accrued six points on the evening. His performance, along with the Heat being outrebounded 60-39, showed that the squad was clearly not meshing well together in Boston. In addition to Butler’s poor outing, the Heat starters were only able to combine for 18 points total.
The only bright spot for Miami on Monday night came from their bench as former All-Star Victor Oladipo led the team in scoring with 23 points. What’s interesting about the matchup from Game 4 is that the Miami bench fared much better than the starters (three players in double figures). This goes to show that the Heat do feature some superior depth and are still a threat to win on any night when all the wheels are working together. The key to success in Game 5 will be the Miami starting five getting back on track. Center Bam Adebayo is one to watch as he can break the game open when he is playing his best and not like he did in Game 4 (nine points and six rebounds).
The Celtics defense did a marvelous job in Game 4 of suffocating the Heat starters and keeping them off balance throughout the entire contest. Though Tatum was the star on the stat sheet for Boston, all five starters chipped in with solid performances. Veteran center Al Horford led all players with 13 rebounds and even blocked four shots, disrupting much of the Miami offense. The Celtics were even able to weather poor shooting nights from guards Derrick White and Jaylen Brown (a combined 9-for-34 on the night). In fact, three Celtics players were above 20 in the plus/minus column in the evening.
It is hard to nitpick a 20-point victory in Game 4 of the Conference Finals, but Boston did show some flaws on Monday night. In addition to some poor shooting from their starting guards, the Celtics bench was lackluster with only one player putting together a double-digit scoring night (guard Payton Pritchard with 14). However, this was clearly Boston’s night and it would appear that the Celtics are playing with a little more momentum than Miami at this stage in the series following their 20-point triumph. Nonetheless, this Eastern Conference Finals showdown has gone back-and-forth since Game 1 and it would appear to be on track for another great battle on Wednesday in South Beach.
Prediction: This series has seen two squads trading devastating blows through four games so look for more of the same in Game 5. This is why Miami will win at home and get the momentum back in their corner.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football in the Mountain West Conference, and basketball. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones.
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