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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The series between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics has been enthralling. Both teams have gone back and forth in a battle of the top dogs. After 4 games, the series sat all even at two games apiece. However, the Boston Celtics took things in control winning a pivotal Game 5. Showing off their elite two-way style yet again, the Celtics have taken command of the ECF. Jaylen Brown came up as a key contributor in the matchup as he picked things up in the second half. Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins even compared Brown to Michael Jordan after his back-to-back fadeaway shots.

The Boston duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum is one of the best scoring duos in the league. After analysts raised questions about their coexistence, the two have fought through. They carried Boston to the second seed and came up huge in Game 5. Both of them have had an amazing series so far. However, before getting in the groove in Game 5, Jaylen Brown had his struggles early in the game as he racked up turnovers one after another.

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Hence, Perkins made a tacky comparison of two Jordans with Jaylen Brown.

Jaylen Brown picks things up late in Celtics win

Logging in to Game 5 was always going to be a tough job for the Celtics. Traveling into the home of the Vice City, the atmosphere is always intense. In such unfavorable situations, Boston came up to surprise the Heat once again. After falling behind in the first half, they attacked the Heat in the third quarter, leaving them down and out. In a 32-16 run, Boston was able to take a commanding lead, and they kept up the momentum through the 4th quarter.

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Jaylen Brown came as a key for the Celtics’ consistent offense. However, after hitting his fadeaways to end the third, Perkins compared him to Jordan. However, he did not forget the struggles Brown had to begin the game. He said: “Jaylen Brown is on some Jordan s**t at the end of the 3rd. Been Montell Jordan all game tho! Carry the hell on.”

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While Brown’s first half didn’t scream much of the basketball great Michael Jordan, his second half was a whole different story. Brown went on a tear in the 4th quarter and finished the game as the leading scorer. He amassed 25 points and 4 rebounds on 52% shooting for the night. Jayson Tatum had an all-round performance with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. Moreover, Al Horford and Derrick White were pivotal in the win as their efficiency gave Boston a huge edge. They combined to score 30 points in the 93-80 win.

After getting the lead in the first half, the Heat fell apart once again. In a repeat of Game 4, Miami’s starters were nowhere to be found. Butler struggled for the second game in a row, scoring just 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in Game 5. Bam Adebayo scored a team-high 18 points to go with 10 boards. None of the other starters could get into double digits with Kyle Lowry failing to put up even a single point. The bench scored nearly half the points for Miami as they dearly miss the offensive presence of Tyler Herro in this series.

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With the series heading back to Boston. they have played some stellar defense on the Heat in the last two games. In addition, they have stopped their best player from getting into his element. Hence, with a 3-2 lead, the Celtic hold the upper hand. Do you think they will wrap it up in 6 games? Let us know in the comments below.