Their 110-97 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals wasn’t as close as the score might suggest. As he has done before, Celtics star Jaylen Brown warned Miami not to bring his team back into the series.
Miami previously failed to push the Celtics away on Wednesday when it lost Game 4 by 17 points. Now, the face of the series has gone from the Heat being the overwhelming favorites to the pressure on their shoulders.
They had won their first three games, including a 128-102 blowout in Game 3, and it looked like the Celtics did not fight at all. After that game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazura admitted he lost the locker room, something no coach would ever admit in public.
Four players score 20 or more points on 50.6% shooting Friday. Suddenly, the Heat needed help achieving this as they had 16 turnovers and scored less than 100 points for the second straight game.
It’s almost a shadow of last season’s Eastern Conference finals when they missed the century mark in three of the series’ final four games and twice held in the low 80s.
One problem for them is the absence of guard Tyler Herro, the only legitimate dribble creator besides Jimmy Butler. Herro has been out since the first round of the playoffs with a hand injury, and despite his progress, he’s reportedly unlikely to return to action anytime soon.
If Miami doesn’t handle business at home in Game 6, it could end up in Game 7, which will be in Boston.