The Celtics know the formula. They believe that their defense will end up wearing down the opponent in the match.
And it’s hard to refute that. After all, it has happened several times in these playoffs.
Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and Boston moved within a win of advancing to the NBA Finals. The Celtics extended their lead after halftime to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 on Wednesday for a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference title series.
“I think the mental toll and stress that we’ve put on some teams with our defense has worked and gotten us ahead at times in these playoffs,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said.
Al Horford had 16 points and Derrick White added 14 for the Celtics. Tatum also had 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Bam Adebayo had 18 points and 10 boards for the Heat, who shot 32% from the field — after shooting 33% in Boston’s 20-point victory in Game 4. Gabe Vincent added 15 points, Jimmy Butler 13 and Duncan Robinson 11 for Miami.
The Heat made just 7 of 45 3-pointers. He played without Tyler Herro, who had a groin injury.
Several Miami players were in doubt at the start of the day, due to a series of ailments.
“We’re not going to make excuses or get off topic,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Boston beat us tonight and we have to be clear about that. But these guys are far from 100% on both sides.”
For Game 6, the series returns to Boston on Friday, where a pair of new trophies bearing the names of two Celtics legends await. The Bob Cousy Trophy will go to the Eastern champion and the Larry Bird Trophy to the Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Finals.
The Celtics are one win away from lifting both.
“We have an opportunity to do something with a group that is special,” Brown said. “But don’t take this for granted.”
