With a 110-97 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5, the Boston Celtics have maintained their hopes of making back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals as well as a historic series comeback.
Joe Mazzulla, the head coach of Boston, said before the game that his team's mentality going into the crucial playoff match was "just win or die," and that was how they performed.
The Celtics started the game strong and quickly built a 15-point lead. Boston put forth an all-around effort, jumping out to a 35-20 lead after the first 12 minutes, and they never looked back.
The Celtics' game was still characterized by a concerted team effort, and Mazzulla's team finished the contest with four players who had scored 20 points or more.
Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics all reached the milestone. Derrick White also did well from long range.
The 28-year-old scored 24 points, which put him in first place among all players. He shot an impressive 6-of-8 three-pointers, leading Boston's team as a whole, which made 16 of 39 attempts.