Final: Celtics 118, Heat 84 - Boston romps to 4-1 series win

BOSTON CELTICS vs MIAMI HEAT

Eastern Conference first round, Game 5

Boston leads 3-1

TD Garden, 7:30 p.m. - TNT/NBCS Boston

Line: Boston -13.5

INJURIES

Boston: Kristaps Porzingis (OUT, calf)

Miami: Jaime Jaquez Jr.(OUT, hip), Jimmy Butler (knee, OUT), Terry Rozier (neck, OUT), Josh Richardson (shoulder, OUT)

Series: 

Game 1: Celtics 114 - Heat 94 

The Celtics came out strong, scoring the first 14 points of the game, but Miami was able to answer and cut the lead to five by the break. The Celtics poured it on from 3 and got their lead to 18 before it settled at 15 at the half. The Celtics dominated the third quarter thanks to 10 each from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, and then they completely let up to start the fourth, watching a 34-point lead drop to 14 before they recovered to win by 20. 

Game 2: Heat 111 - Celtics 101

Miami came out firing, hitting 8-15 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a one-point lead. Jaylen Brown dropped 15 in the second quarter, 11 of them in the final 1:55 to help Boston retake the lead at the half. Miami went on a huge run to start the third quarter and built a lead as high as 12 as the 3-pointers kept falling, but Boston was able to cut it to six heading into the final quarter. They didn’t make much progress after that, never getting the lead below five. 

Game 3: Celtics 104 - Heat 84

The first quarter was part defensive battle, part cold shooting, with the teams combining to shoot 14-45 from the field. The Celtics hit nine of those and led 21-12, a lead they immediately increased against Miami’s zone. Then Derrick White and Jayson Tatum fueled a big finish to the half to give Boston a 24-point halftime lead. Miami made a push early in the third but Boston not only held them off, they ended up adding two points to their lead. Miami stayed feisty in the fourth, but it never got uncomfortable for Boston.

Game 4: Celtics 104 - Heat 88

Derrick White scored 16 points to carry the Celtics offense early. Miami came out firing from 3 and hit a couple, but they went cold after that. Boston’s lead got up to 15 before both offenses stalled in the second until White canned a couple of 3-pointers to get the lead to 16. It settled at 17 at halftime, but the Celtics lost Porzingis to a calf injury during the closing minutes of the half. Both teams were slow offensively to start the third but White had two loud dunks in a stretch that got the lead to 28. Miami made a little run as Boston went into classic “slow it down” mode, but they never truly threatened the lead.

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Hit ‘em hard early: Closeout games are hard, especially up 3-1, because one team is desperate and one team is comfortable. The Celtics need to prove they're capable of finishing off the wounded Heat by coming strong right away, building up the big lead early, and then slowly draining them of any hope.

This is a great opportunity to show how different this team is. I would love to see them do it.

2. Play fast: Without Porzingis, Miami will probably switch a lot more, which will lead to a lot more 1-on-1 play. And that's fine so long as Boston doesn’t just hunt the mismatch, grind the game to a halt, and try to score over a particular weak defender. 

Just like the last game, the Celtics should be attacking the weak defender quickly so they can draw the help and open the game up for others. It’s part of why White was able to get going early, and that made life a lot easier for everyone. 

3. Defend the 3-point line: Don’t let them play the math game. It’s very simple. 

There's really no analysis left for this series. It comes down to whether Boston will defend the perimeter and play quickly on offense. Porzingis or no Porzingis, this is Boston’s game to take. Don’t let Miami shoot a million 3-pointers, don’t let their middling shooters get any kind of rhythm, and don’t get lazy on offense. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.