MIAMI HEAT
Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 (5/25/23)
STARTERS
Kyle Lowry • passed out of jumper for a TO (early 1Q); making poor decisions with the ball (4 early TOs); gave up spin dunk on Horford cross match (early 1Q); aggressive spin jumper in the lane (early 3Q); drew offensive foul v. J. Brown, later changed to blocking foul (mid 4Q); elbow triple (late 4Q); largely ineffective the entire night, needs an uptick in aggression in Game 6; line: 5 (2/5 shooting), 2 & 1 dime in 30 minutes
Max Strus • timely triple as Boston worked to extend the lead (early 1Q); nice lob pass to Bam (mid 3Q); predictably struggling to contain J. Tatum (mid 3Q); very quiet night, lost some PT to Robinson & Highsmith later on; scored just 3 points in 24 minutes
Jimmy Butler • step-in, baseline jumper off pump fake (early 1Q); hit technical FT (1Q); stopped on spin layup at the rim (1Q); drew foul v. J. Tatum - 2 FTs; niice entry feed to Zeller (2Q); spin float on baseline (2Q); drew offensive foul v. Grant ; steal, STRONG two-gander + 1 (rim hang); calm, driving lay in transition (starting to find offensive flow, MIA down 17); spin —> kick out, wide open Highsmith trey (early 3Q); nice turnaround over D. White (mid 3Q); fouled D. White on elbow trey (early 4Q); failed to impose his will like he’s done throughout 2023 Playoffs; decent line, though MIA needs much more to advance: 14, 5 boards, 5 dimes & 2 steals (33 minutes)
Kevin Love • slow start, grabbed 2 boards in 5 1Q minutes; benched to start 2nd half (due to ineffectiveness/injury?); check back-in: early 4Q (o-board, missed triple); hit long J over G. Williams (early 4Q); putback lay (mid 4Q); missed soft hook on post up (mid 4Q); inside lay - very nice activiyy in 4th quarter; will Love start in Game 6?; 6 & 6 boards in just under 14 minutes
Bam Adebayo • turnover on 1st play; hit spin layup on very next play; traveling TO, looks rattled on offense (1Q) ; very rough start - TO v. Tatum (1Q); difficult, bailout banker in paint (2Q); directed lefty lob in (mid 3Q); picking up aggression with jumper/scoring in general (3Q); 3rd straight bucket: transition, attack lay v. Horford (mid 3Q); pocket J off nice feed (MIA down 16, under 4, 3Q); transition two-hander following Highsmith steal (late 4Q); came on strong in second half (needs to apply that same energy to the outset of Game 6); finished w/ 16, 8 boards, 3 dimes, 2 steals & 1 block (32 minutes)
***
BENCH
Caleb Martin • check-in: mid 1Q; niice step thru lay v. d. white (1Q); hit triple (1Q); forced J. Tatum into tough step back (1Q); STRONG cross, driving lay (1Q); air ball triple, led to Horford’s jumper (2Q); missed tough, step in try w/ shot clock winding down (2Q); aggressive driving lay - drew foul, tweaked knee? (didn’t leave game) - made 2 FTs (2Q); check back in: mid 3Q; timely elbow trey! (late 4Q); size-up J over R. Williams III (end of 4Q, MIA down 90-72); b2b difficult drives, didn’t convert (early 4Q); cooled off in second half but had another productive outing off the pine: 14 & 5 boards (32 minutes)
Duncan Robinson • check-in: 1Q; touch pass to C. Zeller (1Q); side step triple (early 2Q); difficult fading triple (2Q); finger roll! - keeping MIA in the game (2Q); driving float off glass!! (10 pts); transition lay v. Smart! (12 pts, late 3Q); CROSSOVER —> driving lay on Horford - ”I ain’t never ever…” (14 & 5 dimes!, early 4Q); pid Yurtseven for cut slam (7th! dime, late 4Q); driving lay on baseline, drew foul (4Q); EXCELLENT performance, distributed the ball & scored off the dribble at a very high level - X-Factor: 18!, 9! dimes & 4 boards (almost 28 minutes)
Haywood Highsmith • check-in: 2Q; sequence play! - interception, transition lay (2Q); missed corner trey (2Q); ripped Tatum, caused TO (2Q); START: 3Q; hit wide open corner trey off Jimmy feed (early 3Q; providing excellent minutes); niiice driving slam off tight ball pressure (late 3Q); steal on Pritchard, led to Bam slam! (late 4Q, MIA down 18); hit nice, driving lay (early 4Q); corner trey! (mid 4Q); elbow trey off D. Robinson feed! (mid 4Q); “next man up” - really showed out despite not knowing if he would play heavy minutes (or at all); finished w/ 15! & 2 steals in 36! minutes - in line for a huge role in Game 6
Cody Zeller • converted dunk (via Jimmy), then short J via Duncan Robinson (1Q); didn’t play much after 1st half stint; 4 pts & 2 boards in 4 minutes
Omer Yurtseven • check-in: late 4Q; cut slam off D. Robinson dime! (late 4Q); 2 pts, 2 boards & 1 block in 3 minutes (good energy in very limited PT: might actually be playing sparingly if not for C. Zeller)
Nikola Jovic • check-in: late 4Q; 3 minutes
Udonis Haslem • DNP
Gabe Vincent • OUT (missed Game 5 w/ ankle injury)
Tyler Herro • OUT (cleared for basketball activities, inching closer to a return)
Victor Oladipo • OUT
***
TEAM NOTES:
-struggling to get clean looks
-10 1st half turnovers
-down 61-44 at the break
-16 TOs (early 4Q)
CELTICS WIN, 110-97
TRAIL SERIES 3-2
***
BARO NOTES:
-VERY slow start offensively; poor execution, turnovers
-completely flustered in 1st quarter, lots of trouble with BOS’s energy & activity
-When did Duncan Rob learn to put the ball down!?
-zone doing more harm than good, C’s with 11 threes by halftime
-Jimmy & Bam starting to pick up offensive rhythm (2nd & 3rd quarters)
-mid 4Q lineup: Lowry-Robinson-Highsmith-Martin-Love
-waved white flag with under 3 minutes left; cut lead to 10 w/ reserves
BOSTON CELTICS
Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 (5/25/23)
STARTERS
Derrick White • toughhh fading J (1Q); elbow trey (1Q); steal —> layup (1Q); dirtyyy step back drop off at the 1Q buzzer!; 4th! triple (2Q); hit 5th!! triple (early 3Q); wide open in zone (keeps stopping MIA’s runs); patient, dribble-in float! (19! Points, late 3Q); drew foul on elbow trey (early 4Q; 2/3 FTs); calm, pump fake —> triple! (C’s up 105-86 under 4 left); stepped up BIG TIME - played well v. Jimmy on D & hit 6! triples en route to a GAME-HIGH 24! points, 3 boards & 2 steals
Marcus Smart • driving lay; hit b2b corner triples! (1Q); excellent post D on Bam (1Q); rip up steal —> Horford slam; drew foul on jumper (v. D. Robinson); triple to put C’s up 20! (early 3Q); niiice float game off Tatum feed (early 3Q); WILD alley-oop pass off the glass —> turnover (3Q); solid, two-handed runner off downhill drive (late 3Q); turnover —> drew foul in transition (late 3Q); hit transition trey off MIA TO! (late 3Q); really on point offensively, played with usual effectiveness on Ds; dropped 23, 5! steals, 3 boards & 2 dimes in just under 30 minutes
Jaylen Brown • air ball on 1st three attempt, hit triple in corner on next attempt (1Q); triple to put C’s up 23!-7 (1Q); “rock up” step back triple (1Q); tough hanging lay v. Bam (playing EXTREMELY confident; night & day from 1st part of series); walk-in, pull-up triple! (2Q); niice putback lay (2Q); steal — layup! (great start, Celtics up 15); baseline cut slam! (17 pts); toughhh against the grain runner v. Highsmith (mid 3Q); STRONG hang time lay v. K . Love (mid 4Q); in the running for Top DOG of the Night honors, finished w/ 21 & 3 steals in just under 37 minutes
Jayson Tatum • transition lay off Bam TO (1Q); driving two-hander! (1Q); picked up technical foul (1Q); whip back pass to smart in corner (1Q); elbow triple off swing pass (1Q); split two defenders, euro lay off glass +1 (10 pts) - very strong start; NASTY driving tomahawk! - downhill drive off screen (C’s up 28-13); playing well on Jimmy defensively (2Q); ripped up Bam, drew fouls; staredown, baseline J (over Strus) to put C’s up 21! (3Q); left in & out, lay, goaltend (mid 3Q); found G. Williams for trey (late 3Q); drew 2 FTs to put BOS up 96-72 (4Q); niiice, angled midrange pull v. Highsmith (mid 4Q); star performance, really made a point to get teammates involved, even after his own hot, shooting start - Top DOG of the Night! • 21, 11 & 8! dimes (41 minutes)
Al Horford • great early hustle, led to swing pass to Tatum for 3 (1Q); putback dunk (1Q); spin dunk v. Lowry on baseline!; put back slam!; transition lob; in a very nice flow on both ends; stopped Bam’s J, 7 early boards; making life difficult for Bam (2Q); drew steal & foul! (Early 3Q); strong o-board v. K. Love (mid 4Q); o-board —> Smart cutting lay, drew foul (mid 4Q); really helped set the tone on D, played a complete game: 6, 11 & 5 dimes in 29 minutes
***
BENCH
Malcolm Brogdon • check-in: under 4, 1Q; not much of an impact, still nursing elbow injury (left game, did not return for second half - status is worth monitoring)
Robert Williams III • CLEAN block on Jimmy three (2Q); two excellent contests on bam & Highsmith (2Q); patient, reverse flush/lay off interior feed (late 3Q); soft float in the lane (late 4Q); responding well coming off bench: 6 pts (3/3 shooting), 4 boards & 1 block (18 minutes)
Grant Williams • flying o-board, later drew foul (1Q); offensive foul v. Jimmy B. (2Q); hit triple off nice kickout from J. Tatum (3Q); diving steal v. Bam —> Smart triple! (late 3Q); drew foul on D. Robinson (hit 2 FTs, early 4Q); box score doesn’t tell full story - only hit 1 trey but was active everywhere else on the floor: 6 & 4 boards in 27 minutes
Payton Pritchard • turnover, led to Highsmith bucket (late 3Q); sporadic PT throughout series, didn’t play regular rotation minutes in the first half (4 minutes of action overall)
Sam Hauser • check-in: late 4Q; SUPER dagger trey (late 3Q); 3 pts in 3 minutes
Justin Champagnie • check-in: late 4Q
Luke Kornet • check-in: late 4Q
Mike Muscala • DNP
Blake Griffin • DNP
Danilo Gallinari • OUT
***
TEAM NOTES:
-28-13! Start
-up 15 after 1
-61-44 halftime advantage
-1st team in NBA history w/ 12+ steals & 12+ triples from the starters! (via TNT broadcast)
-4! players over 20+ points
-4-0 in elimination games (2023 Playoffs; via TNT broadcast)
CELTICS WIN, 110-97
TRAIL SERIES 3-2
***
BARO NOTES:
-Notable, renewed sense of energy after winning Game 5
-JT setting the tone, D. White really stepping up
-moving ball very well
-getting clean looks from basically everywhere - MIA’s zone is giving up too many corner looks
-BOS’s five continues to hit huge shots as MIA tries to make any sort of run
-too much balance, top such consistency, too many (BOS) triples & forced TOs for MIA to overcome
-swing game? Boston should play w/ crazy confidence the rest of the series…Game 6 barn burner?
***
Top DOG of the Night: Jayson Tatum
Star UnderDOG of the Night: Derrick White
(Game Notes) Takeaway: Are we on the verge of an historic comeback?