Just as it felt the Miami Heat were heading to the NBA Finals, the giants woke up. The Boston Celtics, after falling 0-3 have taken the challenge. They have now won back-to-back games following a statement Game 5 win at home. The job is far from finished, however – the Eastern Conference powerhouses have confidence leaking out as the momentum shifts in their favor. They are inching closer to making NBA history, and a 26-year-old star sent out a warning to Jimmy Butler and Co. following the win tonight.
But despite the Celtics finding themselves, crushing the Heat in two games straight, celebrated NBA analyst Skip Bayless believes there is no hope for the 17-time champions.
Bayless doesn’t feel the Boston Celtics will make history
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Back at the TD Garden, the Celtics showed out, choking the Heat under the lights. They outplayed Jimmy Butler and Co. on both ends of the floor. Four of the starters scored over 20 points – a feat none of the Heat stars could achieve. It was a statement by the Celtics. In the face of an unprecedented scenario, they bravely took on the challenge.
As they step closer to making history for coming back from 0-3 down, Jaylen Brown sent a chilling message to the Miami Heat camp. “They let us get two, so don’t let us get another one,” said the 26-year-old after the comfortable Game 5 win.
"They let us get two, so don't let us get another one."
– Jaylen Brown 👀 pic.twitter.com/EhxpnlBHSt
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 26, 2023
It’s a state of true nightmare for the Heat fans. At one end, the Jimmy Butler-led side has slayed contenders, even having the Celtics by the throats at one point in this series. But now they have lost the momentum. Over the last two games, the Heat have lost by an average of 15 points. They have failed to break past the 100-point threshold, something they were able to do in the first three games.
Yet, Skip Bayless gave them hope. Riding with Jimmy Butler, he tweeted, “No team in NBA history has come back from 0-3 down in a playoff series. 0-151. It’s about to be 0-152.”?
No team in NBA history has come back from 0-3 down in a playoff series. 0-151. It's about to be 0-152.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 26, 2023
History favors the Miami Heat. However, there was never a 3-1 comeback until we saw LeBron James push past Golden State Warriors in 2016. As they say, records are meant to be broken. And this could be one the Celtics hunt down in the coming games.
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Jimmy Butler and the Heat suffer a big loss in Game 5
Similar to Game 4, tonight wasn’t much of a contest to begin with. The Celtics asserted themselves to take an early advantage. Marcus Smart and Derrick White’s 20+ points gave Boston a major edge. Jayson Tatum and Brown combined to score 42 in the 97-110 Game 5 win.
On the other hand, the Miami Heat seemed reserved and limited in what they put up. Butler scored only 14 points, taking just 10 shots. It seems the franchise might be playing it tactfully, not trying to utilize much of their energy trying to dig out of a massive deficit. However, it is now almost essential for them to close the series at home.
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As the action heads back to Miami, do you think we will see a Game 7 in this thrilling series? Let us know your views in the comments!