The Boston Celtics will seek their second straight win over the Miami Heat in Game 5 Wednesday night as they attempt to take command of the 2-2 series. Boston will get starting point guard Marcus Smart back for the matchup after suffering an ankle injury, and starting center Rob Williams has also been cleared for action despite suffering a knee injury. The Heat will be without reserve guard Tyler Herro for the second game in a row.
Game 5 of the series will be broadcast on FTX Arena and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. Wireless fans who want to stream the game can watch it online via fuboTV or DirecTVStream. Both streaming services offer free trials. Fans wishing to attend the games can now purchase tickets through StubHub, Vividseats and TicketNetwork.
How to watch Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat (Game 5 | Eastern Conference Finals | NBA Playoffs 2022)
What time does the game start? What TV channels will it be on? – Wednesday’s NBA playoff game begins at 8:30pm EST at TD Garden. Coverage will be televised via ESPN.
Live Stream Options – WatchESPN | DirecTVStream | fuboTV – If you have cable, you can use your TV provider’s credentials to watch via WatchESPN. If you don’t have cable, you can watch ESPN coverage on DirecTV and fuboTV, both of which offer a free trial.
More information from Associated Press:
MIAMI (AP) – Back. Her. Back. Her.
The Miami Heat want this pattern to continue. The Boston Celtics are hoping to break that trend. And the team that prevails Wednesday night is a game away from the NBA Finals.
The Eastern Conference Finals was nothing more than a series of mood swings set to continue with Game 5 in Miami on Wednesday. The top-seeded Heat and second-seeded Celtics are tied at two games apiece; The Heat rallied in the second half to win Game 1, Boston used a huge first-half run to react and win Game 2, Miami responded in Game 3 and the Celtics romped in Game 4.
“It’s not surprising,” Boston coach Ime Udoka said on Tuesday. “Two teams that always fight and don’t really fight each other give each other a chance. I’ve known Miami and (heat coach Erik Spoelstra) for a while now and that’s the epitome of who they are – toughness. Both teams have balanced the energy that comes from losing and now it’s our turn to react better to a win.”
The Celtics – even without Defenseman of the Year Marcus Smart, who was sidelined again, this time with a sprained ankle – left no doubt in Game 4, taking an 18-1 lead to open the game and never coming close to making the relinquish control.
The Miami starters combined for 18 points in Game 4 — yes, the combined lowest such total for a starting XI in a playoff game in at least 40 years. The Heat was missing Tyler Herro with a groin problem, Jimmy Butler didn’t look right (although he insisted) after missing half of Game 3 with knee pain, and Kyle Lowry, Max Strus and PJ Tucker shot 1 for 17 combined.
It was ugly. But Spoelstra somehow still sees beauty in how the series has gone.
There hasn’t been a lead change since the first quarter of Game 2; Boston took control of that game and never let go, Miami took a big early lead in Game 3 and kept it late but never fully relinquished the lead, and the Celtics took a chokehold from the opening seconds in Game 4.
“What you see here is a great series,” Spoelstra said. “It’s 2-2. You have to embrace that and come together and hopefully this competition will bring out the absolute best in all of us.”
Game 5 in a draw series are always swing games. When a series is tied at 2-2, the winner of Game 5 in a best-of-seven series ultimately wins 82% of the time.
“It’s like a new show,” said Jayson Tatum of Boston. “The best of three.”
BAD MOODS
Boston took 40 more free throws than Miami in Games 3 and 4 combined; in Game 4 alone, the difference was 24. The problem is aggression (or lack thereof), Butler said. “I think we have to be more of a powerful team, come into our own color, don’t shy away from contact and play from the inside out,” Butler said. “Anytime we do that and don’t shoot as many jumpers, we might get fouled a bit.”
QUARTERLY RESULTS
The Celtics have lost three quarters and two games in this series. Of the 16 quarters in this matchup so far, the Celtics have won nine and drawn four more. The two quarters that hurt Boston the most are obvious: the third quarter of Game 1 (Miami wins 39-14 to turn the game around) and the first quarter of Game 3 (Miami wins 39-18 to set the tone to indicate for this victory). . The other quarter the Heat won was meaningless as Miami edged Boston 30-26 in the fourth blowout of Game 4.
2-2 HISTORY
The Heat are 9-6 all-time in best-of-seven streaks tied after four games, including 1-0 this season after beating Philadelphia in the East semifinals. The Celtics are 34-13 in best-of-seven going 2-2 in Game 5, also 1-0 this season – after losing Game 5 in the East Semifinals to Milwaukee but winning the last two games of that series to have.
ODDSMAKERS SAY
Boston is favored by 1.5 points in Game 5 as of Tuesday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Of course, that could change based on injury news and other variables. Miami is 4-1 at home as underdogs this season and has been favored in 35 of their last 36 home games on Wednesday.
